The Hyde Factor
by Shallow15
Summary: Kim Possible has faced many faces of evil in her career, but how will she deal with a villain that's impossible for her to fight face to face? Chapter 14 posted. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**THE HYDE FACTOR**

_A "Kim Possible" fanfic_

_by Erin Mills_

_Characters ©2007 Disney_

The screams of rage and exertion grew louder as the two young women fell from the roof of the building and into the piles of garbage in the alley below. The redheaded teenage girl in the purple top and black flared pants landed in the dumpster, the lid slamming shut once she hit, while the older, blackhaired woman in the green and black jumpsuit, managed a not as soft landing in a pile of old cardboard boxes and garbage bags.

Shego was the first one to her feet. She flared up one of her fists, enshrouding it in a green bioplasmic energy field. She strode over to the dumpster and placed her unpowered hand on the lid.

"All right, Kimmie, time for more pain!" she crowed, flinging the lid open. She reached in and pulled out the teen hero she had fought many many times before.

Kim Possible's expression was dazed as Shego hauled her out of the dumpster. The two had been fighting for quite some time on the Paris rooftops,and the exertion, coupled with the fall had rung her bell slightly.

Shego clicked her tongue. "Awww, don't pass out on me now, Kimmie, we're just getting started."

Kim brought her feet up and kicked Shego in the stomach. The supervillain huffed as the air was forced from her lungs and she dropped Kim, who scurried down the alleyand got to her feet.

Kim forced her tired limbs into a fighting stance, as Shego rose to her feet at the other end of the alley. The villainess turned towards Kim, hands glowing, and she took slow, deliberate steps towards her nemesis.

"Okay, now I've put up with a LOT of shit during our fights, Kimmie," Shego said in a dangerous tone of voice. "But THAT was just plain DIRTY."

"Like you wouldn't do the same thing." Kim snorted.

_...she's boring, she's whining, turn her over to me and she's dying..._

"Shut up." Kim whispered fiercely. Down the alley, Shego growled.

"Look who's getting bossy all of a sudden!" With that, Shego leaped into the air and brought her fists down towards Kim's face. Kim crossed her forearms in front of her face to block the strike. Shego screamed and brought her hands down on Kim's forearms, her momentum causing the two of them to collide and roll down the alley once again.

They stopped rolling, and Shego took the opportunity to pounce on Kim and pin her to the ground. Shego grinned as Kim writhed underneath her, trying to escape. She brough her clawed fingers down towards Kim's closed eyes.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this..." she purred. Suddenly, Kim stopped writhing and Shego bllined as she felt some sort of...shift...underneath her. She shook it off and turned her attention back to Kim's eyes.

Which were open, but something was off. In the dim light in the alley they looked...

"Purple?" Shego asked. Her question was answered with a swift knee to her groin, which, despite commonly held male belief, HURTS. Shego yelped and rolled off Kim, trying desperately to not grab the area the pain was radiating from.

That pain was quickly replaced by a new one as a hand grabbed Shego's hair and began draggin her down the alley. Shego tried to get purchase on the ground with her feet, but the owner of the hand was too strong for her. She flared up one hand and fired a bolt at the hand.

The hand loosened it's grip just long enough for the bolt to shoot past, but then, Shego suddenl;y found it aroudn her ankle. She had very little time to ponder this sudden change when she was flying through the air. She slammed into the wall of the alley face first and fell to the ground, blood flowing form her nose. She got into a sitting position and dabbed her nose with her fingers.

"Jeesuds, Kim, I think you broge it!" Shego said, her nose clogged with drying blood.

"Awww," came a dark, husky, but familiar voice. "Did I do that? I'm so sorry."

Shego looked up at the source of the voice andf frowned in perplexment. It LOOKED like Kim, but something was off. She looked taller, thinnner, and her hair seemed darker, and slightly different.

"Kimmie?" Shego said uncertainly. She felt an unfamiliar sensation creeping up her spine. For the firs ttime in as long as she could remember, Shego was afraid.

The girl who looked like Kim crouched down next to Shego. She placedf a hand on Shego's shoulder and gave the villainess a downright satanic grin.

"Because," the girl continued, "I meant to do THIS!"

Shego screamed in pain as she felt bones snap in her shoulder and muscles stretch in ways they weren't designed to. She felt fingers in her hair and the pain returned as her head was slammed into the brick wall behind her. Green stars burst in front of her eyes, and she felt her eyes begin rolling into the back of her head.

"Oh, no, no." came the girl's mocking voice. The girl Shego knew for a fact was NOT Kim Possible. "Don't pass out on me now, Sheggie, we're just getting started!"

There was another crack, and Shego began screaming again.

At least, she did until the girl decided to work on the soft tissue.

---

Ron Stoppable entered the alley a while later at full speed. He had promised Wade and Kim, that Kim would never be left unsupervised during a mission during the last three months, and thanks to Drakken and his army of robotic chiropractors, Kim and Shego had gone off on their own. Fortunately, Wade had set up a GPS signal from the Kimmunicator to his cell phone, so the only thing tha thad delayed him was finding his way through the streets of Paris to where Shego and Kim had last been traced.

"I swear, is it really so hard to lay out a city in a grid or something!" Ron whined out loud as he turned into the alley. As he entered, she saw the female form lying on the ground in the middle of the alley.

"KP? Is that you?" he asked, frowning. He cautiously made his way towards the woman on the ground. It wouldn't be the first time SHE had fooled him by acting hurt.

As ron got closer and his vision adjusted to the minimal light in the alley, he realized that the woman wasn't...her, and it wasn't Kim either.

Ron fought not to throw up and knelt down next to Shego's body. He forced himself to feel for a pulse, taking care not to disturb her too much. The pulse taking proved to be unnecessary, as Shego let out an inarticulate moan as soon as Ron touched her. Shego twitched and jerked on the ground, limbs flailing uselessly and in ways they weren't supposed to bend.

"Shego! Stop!" Ron cried. "It's me! Ron!"

Shego stopped moving and one eye slowly opened, peering out from under swollen lids. Ron sighed in relief.

"She's gone, don't worry, she can't hurt you anymore. I'm going to get you some help. Just, try not to move too much, okay?"

Shego's hea dmoved in what Ron chose to believe was a nod. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Wade's number. As it rang, he glanced aroudn the alley, and cursed as he saw the Kimmunicator lying on the ground just behind Shego. Ron picked it up and turned it on.

The oval screen lit up with a note:

**SORRY, RONNIE, SHE ASKED FOR IT. BUT I DIDN'T BREAK THE RULES...TECHNICALLY. GONNA GO OUT FOR A WHILE. DON'T WAIT UP.**

**--F.M.**

Ron's teeth clenched in agner, and he pocketed the Kimmunicator as he heard the line connect.

"Wade?" He asked.

"Yeah, Ron. Did you find them?"

"Scramble this line, Wade." Ron said, looking around the alley, hopeing that SHE wasn't stilla round.

There was an electronic beep on the line, then Wade's voice returned. "We're secure."

"She's gone, Wade. I need an ambulance here now. Shego's hurt. Bad. Really bad, Wade. "

Ron heard the sound of keys clacking" Paramedics are on their way, Ron. Should be there in three minutes."

"What about GJ? You know they're going to be listening into the police switchboard." Ron countered.

"They're holed up ont he other side of town. It'll take them at least five to get to your location. Where's Kim?"

"She's...out. Probably happened some time during the fight." Ron reported. "It was HER. She beat the crap out of Shego and then some, and she ditched the Kimmunicator."

"Damn." Wade said. "All right, I'll see if the back up homing device is up and running. With a little luck she hasn't spotted it yet."

"She said she hadn't broken the rules, but Kim isn't going to be happy when she gets back."

"IF she gets back." Wade replied.

Ron sighed again, and pulled out the capped syringe he had in his pocket. "She'll be back. One way or the other. And when she does come back...Faye's going to wish she'd never been born."

Ron's head snapped up as he heard the sound of sirens coming closer. "The medics are here, Wade." he said, pocekting the syringe. "I'm gonna make sure they help Shego, then I'll call back. Find her, Wade. Please."

"Don't worry, Ron. We'll find her...both of them." Wade promised. Ron nodded and clicked his cell phone off. He kneeled down next to Shego.

"The paramedics are here, Shego. Don't move unless you have to, okay?"

Shego moaned weakly, as the headlights illuminated the form. Ron stood up and waved his arms. "She's over here! Hurry!"

The paremedics set to work immediately. Ron frowned as he watched them work on Shego and try to move her to a stretcher. Shego screamed again, and it was quite clear that she was going to be hospitalized for a very long time. As Ron saw the agonized expression on Shego's face, he felt the anger and panic rising in his throat again.

_We're going to find you, Faye, and you will regret EVER messing with Kim...or any of us._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Three Months Ago...**_

The high speed lab mixer slowly came to a halt and a chime sounded, signaling the end of the cycle. Crimson liquid began flowing from the bottom of the mixer into the glass pipette attached to the base of the mixer. Dr. Amy Hall, known to the world at large as the rogue geneticist and overenthusiastic Cuddlebuddy collector DNAmy, giggled as she opened the valve on the pipette and drained the crimson liquid in to several vials designed for a hypogun. Behind her, thousands of animal eyes watched form their cages as she worked.

"Well," She said, holding one up to the light, "It's not quite complete yet, but at least I've got the original formula. Now, if it works, we'll be halfway there!"

She took one of the vials and inserted it into the hypogun. She then walked across the lab to a cage of ferrets that was sitting on a workbench. The ferrets bounced and chittered as Amy approached. Amy grinned.

"Yes, Mommy's glad to see you too." She cooed as she opened the cage. The watch on her wrist immediately got the ferrets' attenion and the rodents began nipping at it and wrapping themselves around her arm. She giggled again and grabbed one and pulled it out of the cage. She held it gently, but firmly.

"Okay, I don't think this will hurt." she said to the ferret. She raised the hypogun and prepared to pull the trigger.

And at that point, Kim Possible crashed through the skylight of the warehouse laboratory and kicked the hypogun out of Amy's hand.

"All right, DNAmy, drop the ferret and put your hands on your head!" Kim said firmly, glancing around and noting the eldery leather bound notebook on one of the benches. "The British Government is very interested in getting their property back."

"Kim Possible!" DNAmy screeched. "Why do you always have to show up and wreck my fun!"

"Because it's what I do." Kim answered. "Now, are you going to come quietly or do we have to do this the usual way?"

Amy didn't reply but threw a lever, revealing the giant mutant tarantuhua hidden inside her "genetic zipper" machine. The eight legged, dog headed monstrosity yipped ominously as it scuttled across the lab towards Kim. Kim's eyes widened.

"Oh THAT is just wrongsick!" she said. At that moment, Ron Stoppable landed on the floor next to her face first.

"Owwww," he said, getting to his feet. "I really need to remember to ask Wade for more grapple cord. I'm always running--THAT IS JUST SICK AND WRONG!" Ron interrupted himself as the Tarantuhua began growling ominously.

"Focus, Ron!" Kim snapped. "You get the other animals out of here, I'll deal with Fido."

"I'm on it, KP." Ron dashed across the lab towards the master cage release switch, but was taken down by an impressive flying tack from DNAmy. The two rolled across the lab floor and crashed into the wall.

"You are not going to let my sweet little friends loose!" Amy said angrily, slapping at Ron with her hands. "I'm so tired of the two of you ruining everything. I swear, if only you were..."

Amy's voice trailed off and she got an evil grin on her face. She got up off Ron and began running for the hypogun laying on the floor. Ron got to his feet, noticed where she was headed and quickly threw the release switch.

The cage doors opened and a herd of everything from stray cats and dogs, to otters and ostriches began dahsing madly through the lab. Ron looked at the chaos he hadwrought and looked down into one of his leg pockets, where his pet naked mole rat Rufus lived.

"What do you think, buddy? Too much?" he asked. Rufus popped his head out of Ron's pocket, glanced at the scene and then up at Ron.

"Way too much!" he chittered.

Meanwhile, Amy had reached the hypogun and was holding it up in triumph. "Ooooh, this should be interesting. I wonder if Monty and Dr. Drakken would be interested in seeing this--AIIIGH!"

The "AIIIGH!" came as Amy suddenly found herself buried in hundreds of lemmings, guinea pigs, gerbils, and other rodents making a mad dash to escape the lab. The hypogun flew from her grip and into the air, bouncing off one of the walls.

As all this was going on, Kim was busy trying not to get bitten by the giant chihuahua head or the spear-like hairs of the tarantula body being hurled at her. She leaped onto one of the many computer terminals surrounding the room and pulled her grapple gun form the holster on her leg. She took aim and fired the hook into the ceiling.

"If it worked for Luke Skywalker..." she said, before kicking off and swinging down towards the tarantuhua. The mutant monster snapped at Kim as she swung down and around its legs. The tarantuhua tried keeping up with the swinging teenager, but couldn't negotiate its legs fast enough to keep up. In just a few short seconds, Kim had landed on the floor, with the tarantuhua's legs wrapped in the grapple cable.

"Bad dog spider thing." She said, grinning, then thumbed the grapple gun to "retract" and pulled the trigger. The cord tightened rapidly, drawing the legs together. The tarantuhua howled as it lost balance and crashed into a series of work benches. The giant mutant whimpered and was still.

Kim grinned again and holstered the grapple gun. She turned to see DNAmy get buried by assorted rodents. She stifled the urge to laugh.

There was a clanging sound, and then she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as the hypogun bounced off the wall and connected with her. There was a hiss and the liquid inside the gun injected into Kim's body. The gun slipped off Kim's shoulder and clattered to the floor.

Kim frowned, and looke dover at Amy. "What was in that?"

Amy looked over at Kim and smirked. "Oh, you'll find out eventually. But first.." She held up a remote control and pressed a button on it."

"EMERGENCY DESTRUCT SYSTEM ACTIVATED. TWENTY SECONDS TO TOTAL DEVASTATION." came a computerized voice. Amy giggled madly and began running towards the exit of the lab. Kim pulled the grapple gun again and fired it into the roof. "Ron, get the animals out!"

"Check!" Ron replied. He and Rufus began chasing the animals that were still milling around towards the exit. Kim kicked off the floor and swung towards Amy's retreating form. Behind them,.segments of the lab began exploding. Kim reached the top of her upswing, disconnected the grapple line and flipped down through the air. She collided with Amy and the two rolled out of the lab and down the side of the mountain it was hidden in.

Ron and Rufus followed soon afterwards, chasing the last of the animals out, right as the lab exploded in earnest. The shockwave sent all four of them rolling down the mountainside towards an area where the authorities were convienently waiting for them.

The police took Amy into custody and hauled her off. Strangely, Amy didn't protest as she was taken into custody. As she was placed into the back of a police cruiser, Kim walked up to her.

"What was in that gun, Amy?" she asked, frowning.

"Oh, nothing for you to worry about." Amy answered. "You might actually find it rather...fun." Amy grinned again and sat back in her seat, and wouldn't say anything further. An officer closed the door and the cruiser pulled away, leaving Kim staring after it, wondering what Amy had been up to.

--

"All clear, Kim," Wade said over the Kimmunicator. "The scans show nothing unusual. Looks like whatever DNAmy was working on was a dud, or it was just meant to work on the ferrets."

"Well, that's a relief." Kim said. "What about the notebook?"

"That's the bad news." Wade replied. "Looks like it got burned up in the explosion of the lab."

"Great." Kim sighed. "Well, see if you can get us a ride to London. Lord Utterson is going to want an explanation."

"Can do." Wade said. "I'll call you back as soon as it's set up."

"Please and thank you!" Kim said brightly before signing off. She turned to look where Ron and the authorties were sifting through the wreckage of DNAmy's lab. "Any luck?"

Ron looked up and waved a blackened rectangle. "I found the notebook, KP! But, I don't think it's going to be much help to Lord what'shisname." He opened the notebook, and a shower of burned paper fell out onto the ground.

"I hope it wasn't too valuable." Kim said. At that point, the Kimmunicator beeped. "Go Wade."

"I have Lord Utterson on the line. He says he wants to talk to you."

Kim inhaled deeply. "Okay, put him on."

Wade winked out, replaced by a distinguished elderly man with an impressive mustache. When he spoke, his voice was clipped and proper.

"Ah, Miss Possible. Lord Utterson here. I understand you've found the notebook that was stolen from my vaults?"

"Yes, we did, Lord Utterson." Kim replied. "But, um...there's a small problem."

"Problem? It didn't fall into someone else's hands did it?" the nobleman's voice had an edge of panic to it. "I made it quite clear that we needed to get that notebook out of circulation as quickly as possible..."

"No, no!" Kim said quickly. "The notebook's still here, but unfortunately..."

"Yeah, um, it was kind of a casualty of the rescue efforts." Ron said, appearing next to Kim and holding up the remains of the notebook. "Exploding lab, last second escape, you know the drill."

There was a pause, then Lord Utterson let out a sigh. "Well, that's all right then."

Kim blinked. "Pardon?"

"The truth of the matter is, we were planning on destroying it once you returned it to us. We really should have done so when my great-grandfather first acquired it, but I'm afraid our family has always been something of a gang of packrats."

"So, you aren't mad that we didn't get the notebook back?" Ron asked.

Lord Utterson chuckled. "Not at all, my dear boy. If anything, we should pay you a fee for taking it off our hands!"

"That won't be necessary, Lord Utterson." Kim said quickly. "World saving comes free of charge."

"Well, if I can ever be of service to you, my dear, please don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you very much, Lord Utterson. Glad to be of service."

"Have a good evening, Miss Possible."

"You too."

The Kimmunicator screen went dark and Kim sighed in releif and leaned up against Ron. "Oh, thank God."

"Yeah, who knew?" Ron said. "So, now what do you want to do?"

"Honestly? I'm beat. That tarantuhua took it out of me. I just want to go home, have a hot bath, and go to bed. Mind if I flake on the usual post-mission Bueno Nacho visit?"

"No problem, KP." Ron said. "I was going to ask if we could skip it myself. Mom and Dad have another dinner date with a couple of guys from Dad's office, so I need to keep an eye on Hana."

"Figured out how to keep her off the ceiling yet?" Kim asked as the two of them walked towards Kim's car.

"No, but the bungee cords and the harness seem to keep her in line." Ron answered.

Kim giggled and gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. "Just make sure you remember to attach the cords to somethig secure this time. How much more do you owe your parents for the sofa?"

"My next three paychecks." Ron sighed. "Of all the times for Dad to go on a 'personal responsibility' kick. Is not being the older brother of a hyperactive super ninja baby enough?"

"Apparently not, according to your dad." Kim said, deactivating the alarm on the car and getting in. Ron followed suit on the passenger side. "Are you sure you don't want me to come over and help?"

"Nah, you look beat. I mean, DNAmy pulled out all the wrongsick stops with that...thing. You get some rest. Han and I can cope with it."

"Okay, but I'm warning you, once I get in that tub, the Kimmunicator goes off for the rest of the night."

"Pfft" Ron snorted. "Come on KP, I've dealt with her before. How much worse could it be?"

--

"HANA! YOU PUT THAT ENERGY FIREBALL BACK FROM WHEREVER YOU GOT IT FRO--AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

---

Kim sighed as she sank into the hot water, enjoying the warmth as it seeped into her skin and the scent from the lavender bubble bath she had poured into the tub. She unstrapped the Kimmunicator off her wrist, and set it aside, after setting it to "Emergencies Only."

She leaned back in the tub, rested her head on the edge and closed her eyes. She began breathing deeply, using a Bhuddist meditation technique she had learned during an unexpected layover in Nepal following a mission some years before. She let her mind drift, idly flitting from subject to subject. She felt her mind begin to slip deeper into the warm comforting darkness behind her eyelids and her breathing slowed. Then became slower...slower...slower still...

_Who killed Cock Robin?_

_I, said the Sparrow,_

_with my bow and arrow,_

_I killed Cock Robin. _

Kim's eyes snapped open and she sat up in the tub, sending water out onto the floor. She blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings. As she did so there was a knock on the door and Kim's mother's voice came through it.

"Kim? Are you alright? You've been in there for an hour."

_An hour?_ Kim thought. She grabbed the Kimmunicator and looked at the time displayed on the screen. _Wow, I must be more tired than I thought. Better get out before I drown._

"I'm fine, Mom," she called as she got out of the tub and toweled herself off. "I guess I dozed off."

"Well, okay." her mother replied. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm good. I think I'm going to go to bed now though." Kim replied, pulling on her pajamas. She grabbed the Kimmunicator and opened the door, revealing her mother, Anne. "Thanks for the concern though, Mom."

Anne smiled as Kim exited the bathroom. "It's all part of the Mom job description. Sleep well, Kimmie."

"Thanks, Mom. Night!" Kim headed up the stairs to her room. As she entered she set the Kimmunicator back to it's standard mode, in case Wade got a late night hit on the site that needed immediate attention. She pulled the covers back on her bed, climbed in, enjoying the feeling of the cool sheets on her bare feet, turned out the light, and rolled over. In a few minutes, she was sound asleep.

She woke up the next morning in a seedy motel room. As her vision focused and she realized she wasn't in her bedroom, she sat up in the bed, and looked around in panic. Typical seedy motel room. Elderly TV, two beds, particle board dresser and nightstand. She twisted slightly in the bed and winced as a dull pain hit her in the side.

She looked down at herself and saw she was wearing a black T-shirt that she knew she hadn't worn to bed the night before. She lifted the shirt up and saw a large purple bruise that was developing just below her ribs.

_Where did I get that from? And how did I get HERE? Wait a minute...am I wearing anything besides this shirt?_

Kim lifted the covers and saw, with a moderate sense of relief, that she had on a pair of blue panties. As she dropped the covers she saw a pair of blue flared jeans and her socks and shoes on the floor.

She pulled the covers off herself and began putting on the pants. She checked the pockets and let out a relieved sigh as she found her car keys in one of them. As she was putting on her shoes, the phone on the nightstand rang. She hesitated for a moment, then picke dup the receiver.

"Um, hello?"

"Hello," came a choppy recorded voice, "this is the front desk calling, reminding you that check out time is at 11 AM. You have ten minutes until this time. Thank you for staying with us at the Blue Rose Motel."

_The Blue Rose Motel. I know where that is. I'm in Lowerton. How the hell did I get to Lowerton?_

Kim hung up the phone and finished tying her shoes. She spotted the room keycard on a small table near the door and picked it up. She debated on whether or not to just leave the card in the room and take off. She decided against it, as she had no idea if the room had been paid for or not.

She left the room and made her way toi the office. The desk clerk looke dup as she entered.

"Hi there. Can I help you?" He asked. Kim dropped the keycard on the desk.

"Um, yeah, checking out of room 215?" she said uncertainly.

"Oh, you must be the cousin." the desk clerk said, taking the key and placing it in a box labeled "Checkouts." "She said you were going to come by and pick her up."

"Um..yeah. I guess I am." Kim replied, not understanding what the desk clerk was saying.

"Yeah, she was interesting. I had to cover the night shift last night. She showed up after that brawl at the bar down the road. Figured she was involved in it, since she was limping and all, but she had a grin on her face and said she had a great time, but she needed a place to crash for the ngiht."

"I see." Kim said. _Don't say anything, don't show him how freaked you are._ "Um, she told me she left her car at the bar, but she didn't say which one. Her...um...boyfriend is going to come by later to pick it up."

"Oh yeah, it's the Shamrock Lounge a couple of blocks north of here. Better tell him to hurry, the guy who owns the place hates it when people leave their cars there past 10."

"Thanks." Kim reached into her back pocket for her wallet. "Um, how much do you need for the room?"

"Huh?" The clerk looked perplexed. "Oh. No, don't worry about it, she paid in cash last night for the room. So you're all set."

"Óh, okay. Thanks!" Kim waved and left the office. As she did, the desk clerk watched her and frowned.

"Boy, she must really admire her cousin to dress like her." he said.

--

As Kim approached the Shamrock Lounge, she saw her car parked in the lot. She also noted the huge picture window in the front of the bar was shattered, leaving only a gaping hole. A burly middle aged man was nailing a piece of plywood over the gaping hole.

Kim quietly made her way to the car, trying not to attract attention to herself. She unlocked the door and was about to get in when the man noticed her.

"Hey, you! You with that nutcase who trashed my place last night?"

Kim looked up at the man. "I'm sorry?"

The owner of the bar walked over to her."That other redhead who was dressed like you. She showed up in that car last night, came in here, got trashed and started a brawl. Broke my window, the jukebox and about a hundred glasses. Who's gonna pay for it, huh?"

"Um, that was my...cousin, sir. I loaned her my car last night, but she caught a cab home. So I came to get it."

"Cousin, huh?" the bar owner frowned. "Well, you tell that cousin of yours that if I see her in my place again, I'm calling the cops. I run a nice quiet joint here and I don't want any more problems, got it?"

"Y-yes, sir." Kim said. The bar owner snorted and stormed back to the window, allowing Kim to ge tin the car and drive off as quickly as seemed polite. As she drove back towards Middleton, she activated the car's inbuilt Kimmunicator.

"Wade?" she asked.

"Kim? Where are you? I've been trying to get ahold of you all morning. Your parents are freaking out!"

"I'm in Lowerton, Wade. Do me a favor, after you put my parents on and I figure out what to tell them, call Ron and tell him I'm going to meet him at his place. Then, check the emergency surveillance video from the Kimmunicator last night and tell me just what the hell happened to me."

"Gotcha." Wade replied. "I've got your parents on the line."

Kim took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Okay, put them on."

Wade disappeared from the screen and was replaced by Kim's parents.

"Kimberly Anne Possible, just where exactly ARE you?" her father said sternly.

"Um..."

---

"You better brace yourself, Kim." Wade said. "I've got some video from the Kimmunicator while you were asleep last night."

Ron slid closer to Kim in order to see the video on the Kimmuncator's screen. The two of them were at Ron's house, sitting on his bed. It had taken a lot of fast talking, but Kim had been able to convince her parents that she had an appointment to do volunteer park cleanup in Lowerton that she had forgotten about until early that morning. Even so, she'd been given a 45-minute lecture on scaring the living daylights out of her parents and making sure someone knew where she was, and she was sure she had just barely avoided getting grounded into the next month.

"We better find out what happened from this." Kim said. "I don't think they're going to buy my story if it happens again."

The perspective on the video was slightly off, as the Kimmunicator was on Kim's nightstand at the time, but it was enough to see movement as Kim got up from her bed. The scene was in shadow, but Kim's outline could be seen from what little light drifted in from the window.

Ron frowned. "KP, something's not right."

"You're right." Kim agreed, frowning herself. "I don't move like that."

The Kim on the screen stood in front of the window. She seemed to be looking around and marvelling at her arms. She turned away from the window and walked towards the nightstand. An arm appeared in the screen and turned the light on. The video began to shake, indicating that the Kimmunicator was being picked up. There was more movement and then a face filled the screen.

Kim and Ron stared at the face in the screen. The face looked similar to Kim's, but the features were sharper. The face was leaner in the cheeks and the chin slightly more pointed. The eyebrows were thicker than Kim's, and the hair was a much darker shade of red, with a couple of errant bangs flopping over the left eye from the usual wave of hair.

But the most striking feature of the Kim-like face was the eyes. Instead of Kim's usual forest green, the eyes were a startling shade of purple. A purple that almost glowed.

"Hello?" said the girl in the screen. She tapped it a couple of times. "Are you watching me, Wade? Shame on you. What would Kimmie think? I know what I think. And you should be ashamed of yourself, Wadeikins. No more peeping for you tonight. I have other plans. Ta!"

There was an electronic squeal, then the screen went dark. Wade's image reappeared on the screen.

"Who was that?!" Kim demanded. "How did she get in my room?"

"Um, KP..." Ron began. "I think she IS you."

Kim looked at Ron incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous, Ron. Okay, there's a similarity, but that is not me."

Wade cleared his throat. "Um...actually Kim, Ron's right."

"What?" Kim said, looking back at the Kimmunicator screen.

"What?" Ron echoed.

"Kim, I checked the timestamps on the motion detectors you asked me to install in the house after the Diablo thing," Wade began, "no one else came into your room except you, and no one left except her. Plus...well, she's wearing your pajamas in the video."

"But_I_ didn't start that brawl!" Kim protested. "I went to bed and then I woke up at that motel. I would have remembered going to a bar, much less starting a fight there. She--" Suddenly, Kim stiffened up and began to twitch. Ron frowned.

"Kim, you okay? Should I get your mom?" he asked, taking her by the shoulders. Kim shook her head and began taking deep breaths. After a few moments, she calmed down and looked back at Ron.

"I'm fine." Kim said.

"You're not fine, Kim." Ron said. "You just had a fit and you're changing forms when you sleep!"

Kim looked at Ron. "Look, Ron, I'm not pretending to know what happened, but that is just ridiculous. Nobody just changes into someone else and not have any memory of it."

"How else do you explain what we saw then?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Kim yelled. "If I DID we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"All right, just calm down, KP" Ron said, taken aback. Kim blinked, then deflated.

"Sorry, Ron, I'm just so freaked out right now. I just want to know what's happening."

Ron slid closer to Kim and pulled her close. "Hey, we'll figure it out. We always do."

"Um guys," Wade said. "Hate to interrupt but we just got a hit on the site. Duff Killigan just took the clubhouse at Pebble Beach hostage."

Kim broke away from Ron and stood up. "On our way, Wade."

"I'll keep checking the video. Maybe I can spot something we missed the first go around."

"Good idea, Wade. Thanks." Kim turned to Ron. "Come on Ron, let's go kick some kilt."

"Booyah!" Ron said, getting up from the bed and heading for his closet.

--

Duff Killigan was a happy man.

Infiltrating the Pebble Beach Golf Course clubhouse disguised as a janitor had been a piece of cake. A few well hit exploding golf balls filled with knockout gas took care of most of the patrons, and the batches he had hidden aroudn the grounds were keeping the authorities at bay.

And to top it all off, he had the top pro golfer in the world tied up in front of his own press display.

By contrast, Leopard Forest was not a happy man. He had been promoting his new endorsement deal with Titleist and was making a publicity appearance, when a dreanged Scotsman had crashed the press conference and sent everyone to sleep with some kind of knockout gas. And now, he was tied to an office chair and gagged as the deranged Scot marched around, making demands on a cell phone.

"Aye, ye heard me correctly, laddie." Killigan said. "If ye want your champion back, ye'll have twenty million dollars depositied to the account number I've emailed to his agent. And I want it in the next three hours, otherwise..."

The villain turned to face the golfer and grinned. "Well, let's just say I give a new meanin' to the phrase 'hole in one.' Three hours startin' now." Killigan clicked off the phone and turned to Leopard.

"Well, now it's just you an' me, laddie." he said striding over to the trussed up pro. "And there's somethin' I've always wanted ta do." Killigan's grin widened as he walked over to one of the bags of golf clubs set up next to the podium. He selected a 5 iron and held it up menacingly. Leopard's eyes widened as Killigan leaned in close, holding the head of the club up between them.

"Would you say titanium or graphite makes the best club heads for a five iron?" Killigan asked suddenly. Leopard blinked. Killigan took a few steps back.

"No, I'm quite serious. I've been playing this sport for years and I canna figure out whether it's the heads or my stance that's causin' my five shots to slice somethin' awful."

Killigan assumed a golfing stance and took a couple of demonstrative swings. "What d'ye think, laddie?"

Suddenly, the doors to the banquet hall burst open, revealing Kim and Ron. Kim grinned at Killigan's expression.

"I'd say that it'll take a lot more than a couple of tips from a pro to fix your game, Killigan." Kim said. She went into a battle stance as Ron tried to do the same.

Kim's confident grin, however, changed into a frown, as Killigan's expression did the reverse. He pulled a golf ball from the pouch on his kilt and dropped it on the floor. "Oh, I think ye'll find my game's improved, lassie! FORE!"

He swung the five iron and the ball sailed into the archway above the door, exploding on impact. Kim dove to one side and shoved Ron out the archway and back into the hall. The structure of the arch gave way, sending debris flying everywhere.

And a large chunk of the wall down onto Kim.

"KP!" Ron cried.

"MMMPH!" Leopard said through his gag as a flying piece of wood flew through the air and hit him int he face, knocking him to the floor and out cold. Killigan let out a triumphant laugh as he made his way to the rubble of the wall. He held the five iron like a cane and leaned over it addressing the rubble.

"Well, lassie, what d'ye think of my short game now?" he said smugly.

A hand shot up from the rubble, clutching Killigan around the neck. The mad golfer gasped as he felt his windpipe being crushed. A figure clad in Kim's mission clothes rose form the rubble. Purple eyes glittered in the sunlight. Blood red hair flowed from her head. Her mouth was twisted up into a sadistic grin.

"Ach..." Killigan gasped.

"KP?" Ron's voice came form the other side of the rubble. "Kim, are you okay?"

The woman's grin widened as she looked at Killigan's terrified face. "Sorry, Ronnie. Kimmie can't talk right now." She losened her grip on Killigan's throat and he fell to the floor gasping for air.

The woman picked up the five iron and twirled it around like a baton. She took a few steps around Killigan. "Nice club. Good heft. Great balance." She took a stance in front of Killigan and grinned again.

"Now," she said. "Let me show you MY short game..."


	3. Chapter 3

(Special thanks to Dementia of KPSH for the putter line and Lex, also of KPSH, for his suggestions to refine that line)

--

Duff Killigan sailed across the room and crashed into the display of professional grade golfing equipment. He groaned as he felt pain radiate up his spine and into his brain.

"Ah, now THIS is more like it." said the woman who had taken Kim Possible's place. She strode around the ballroom, twirling the five iron she'd taken from Killigan. She smirked at the bound form of Leopard Forest. "A beautiful sunset, a cute guy bound and gagged to a chair, and someone's about to die." She turned to Duff, who was hauling himself into a sitting position. "It's you, by the way, Duffy old boy."

"All right, lassie. I dinna know who ye are or how ye managed to trade places with Kim Possible," he said, gettign to his feet. "But I'm gonna put you in a whole new world of hurt." He grabbed a pair of clubs form the pile around him and twirled them menacingly.

The woman's grin widened, and she spun her own club in response. She dashed acorss the room, used the club as if she were a pole vaulter, and into the air. Duff held the clubs up in front of him in a defensive postion, ready for the impact.

Which didn't come. Duff blinked and lowered the clubs. The five iron was lying on the floor. Duff glanced upwards and his eyes widened in shock.

Somehow, the woman was hanging from the ceiling, her fingers sunk deeply into the tile. She gave Duff a madness-tinged smile and dropped down onto him, slamming a heel into his face. Blood gushed form the golfer's nose as they crashed to the floor. The woman kicked off Duff's face and backflipped into a standing position, lnading withone hand on her hip, and the other up near her face. The fingertips of her gloves were ripped and torn.

"Well, damn." she said, "I'm gonna need new gloves now. Well, Kimmie's gonna need new gloves."

Killigan looked up at her. "I'm gonna feed yer spleen to weasels." he snorted through clogged nostrils. The woman's smile vansihed, replaced by a cold stare. She dashed up to Killigan at a speed that no human should have been able to reach and kicked him in the face again.

Killigan flew into the air, somersaulted, and landed on his back. The woman stood over him and placed one foot on his chest. She leaned over, resting her elbow on her knee and applied pressure. Duff tried to howl in pain as his ribs protested, but the air was being forced form his lungs. His hands scrabbled for something with which to attack his tormentor.

"You know," the woman said casually, "You really need to work on how to talk to a girl. Spleen feeding is a lousy way to start a conversation." Keeping her foot on Killigan's chest, she leand over and picked up a putter that was lying just out of Killigan's grasp. She held it up for a moment, then smashed it down on Killigan's fingers.

The Scotsman gasped from the intial shock, and repeated it several times as the woman turned his hand into a broken and mangled mass of flesh and bone. She then stood back up, took her foot off of Killigan and hauled him up by the plaid across his chest.

"Yer the Devil herself..." Killigan said faintly. The woman laughed.

"Not yet. But it's not a bad idea." She brandished the putter. "But first. You see this putter?"

Killigan nodded frantically, staring into the woman's purple eyes. Purple eyes in which he swore he could see the madness at play. Her brow curled down into a deep frown, while her lips turned up into another demented smile. Her eyes wandered lovlingly over the titanium-tungsten shaft of the club.

"It's a lovely little club. Smooth...firm...rigid. And I think it's going to be great friends with your spleen." she finished. Killigan's eyes widened and he raised his hands to fend her off...

"KIM!" Ron Stoppable screamed as he finally made it through the rubble blocking the main entrance to the ballroom. Killigan decided the hell with machismo and started screaming for help.

"Laddie! Get this she-devil offa me! She's gonna turn me into a golf bag with only one slot!" he cried.

"A golf bag with only one--EWWWWWWWW!" Ron said, cringing. "Kim, you aren't seriously considering...oh."

The "oh" was because the woman had turned around and Ron found himself confronted with the face he and Kim had seen on the Kimmunicator. She grinned in the way a cat grins at a small defenseless animal that's about to become lunch.

"Sorry, Ronnie. Like I said, Kimmie can't talk right now. I'm in the house. And if you turn around and leave right now, I MIGHT leave major parts of your anatomy intact for Kimmie to play with later."

Behind her Killigan made frantic "no no" motions with his hands. Ron swallowed and walked forward.

"Okay...whoever you are," Ron said, trying to keep his voice from cracking in panic. "Just, put Killigan down and let's talk about this. There's a bunch of police out there and the media and I'm sure you don't want to do anything that will result in you being arrested, right?"

The woman laughed again. "Oh please, do you really think those idiots out there could take Kimmie, much less me if either of us didn't want to go?"

"Um, you kow now that I think about it, no I don't think they could. But, come on, why kill him? I mean, I'm sure he'd agree that you won...right?" Ron raised his eyebrows in Killigan's direction. The golfer began nodding his head frantically.

"Aye! Aye! Ye've beaten me fair and square! I give up!" Killigan said. "Ye can have Forest back!"

The woman curled her lip up in a perplexed expression as she turned her attention back to Killigan. "What the hell would I want him for? Besides, beating the hell out of you and then removing your lungs through your nostrils would be LOADS more fun."

"Come on!" Ron said, coming closer. "If you kill him, then you have to fight your way through the cops, and what then? Running from state to state with the cops chasing you. And when Kim gets back, you KNOW she's not going to be happy and will probably turn herself in--YIPE!"

Ron leaped back as the woman turned back to her, still not releasing her grip on Killigan. She had an annoyed expression on her face and glared at Ron.

"I really hate it when you make sense." She said. She turned back to Killigan and quickly thrust her head into his. Killigan let out a squeak and passed out. The woman let him drop to the floor and turned her full attention to Ron.

_Oh god, please don't let me wet my pants. _Ron thought. "Um..okay...great." he began. "Um..thank you?"

The woman leaned forward and cast her gaze up and down, causing Ron to begin shifting uncomfotrably, and actuely aware of the pressure in his bladder.

"Yeah..." the woman said, standing back up. "I guess I can see what Kimmie sees in you. You aren't entirely uncute. But definitely not my type. Okay then, I'm going out. See you later."

She started walking to one of the large widows looking out over the golf course. Ron blinked and folowed her.

"Out? Out where? We need to get back! Kim will be--"

The woman's head snapped up, her blood red hair bobbing as she did so. Her expression could have killed a bird in flight at fifteen paces. "Rule One, Ronnie, don't you EVER try to tell me what to do. You didn't ask me not to kill YOU."

Ron snapped his mouth shut and gulped. The two of them looked at each other for a few momenets, then she smiled brightly.

"Good boy. Good boy, Boy Wonder, you're learning. Now, I'm going out for a while, and because you learned so well, I'll try not to cause any more bar fights, just so you don't have to listen to Kimmie whining about it. I'm sure she spent most of today freaking out about it."

"Um...thank you?" Ron said. "One thing, please?"

The woman quirked an eyebrow. "Nyesssss?"

"Um, could you not leave her in a seedy motel this time?"

She smirked. "We'll see. You're lucky I like you. Ciao!" With that, she crashed through the window. Ron dashed to the window and watched as she yanked a golfer out of a cart and drove it over the horizon.

"Oh, boy." Ron said. He pulled out his cell phone and called the cops to come in for the clean up.

---


	4. Chapter 4

The woman who used to be Kim Possible walked merrily along the streets of Pebble Beach, enjoying the novelty of being in a town with a ton of trees and no sidewalks. The nearby ocean roared, as the waves crashed on the rocks that gave Pebble Beach it's name.

Ah, it was a good day, despite the fact that Ronnie had stopped her from offing Killigan. Little Miss Prissy Pants had been knocked out, presumably by the junk that she had found on top of her when she woke up. And then, ah, the freedom.

The freedom to go where she wanted, do what she wanted, and not have to answer to anybody to do it. Kimmie always said she was the girl who could do anything. What a crock that was. While Kimmie claimed she could do anything, she rarely did. And sometimes, she refused to let herself do things that would have been a much more satifying and economic solution all the way around.

And oh, if Ronnie only knew some of the things Kimmie thought after the adrenalin rush from the graduation fiasco wore off...

Just for the hell of it, the woman took a few running steps and turned a series of cartwheels down the road. She could access Kim's memories up to the point where the fist change had happened so she knew that she was able to do quite a few things that Kimmie couldn't. She was faster, stronger, more agile. In short, she could easily take Kimmie in a fair fight.

A laugh escaped her lips as that thought crossed her mind. Like she would fight fair. She rolled out of her latest cartwheel, handsprung into a forward flip and landed back on her feet, continuing her walk. After a few minutes, the trees began to bore her. Good god, this was a boring place. Nothing but trees and golf courses and a few houses. No fun at all.

Although, she was kind of hungry. And what luck, there was a deli up ahead on the road. She reached into the back pocket of Kim's pants and pulled out her wallet, checking the funds. Ronnie had a point, the police were definitely no fun at all, and having to deal with them, just because she didn't have enough for a sandwich. There were a few bills in there.

She dashed across the road and up the steps leading to the deli. She bounded up to the counter and began ringing the bell that was on it. After a few seconds, a bored looking girl in her mid 20's showed up.

"Yes, thank you for ensuring that the bell works." She said in a bored tone of voice. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, give me a big damn sandwich." the woman said.

The counter girl quirked an eyebrow. "Anything in particular you want on this big damn sandwich?"

"Hmmm...roast beef. As rare as you can get it. I want to taste blood when I bite into it."

"Right, one Vampire Special." the girl said. She grabbed a deli roll and began slicing it open. "Cheese or anything?"

"Cheddar," the woman replied. "And go ahead and put everything on it. And a large diet soda."

"Right. For here?"

"Sure."

"Okay, grab a seat, I'll call your name when it's ready."

"Name?" the woman paused. This was something she had forgotten to deal with.

The counter girl looked up at her. "Yeah, a name. You know, the thing your parents gave you when you were born."

The woman's brow furrowed and she felt the urge to leap across the counter and feed the counter girl's face into the meat slicer, turning it into paper thin shreds. Then she remember that would also call the attention of Jonny Q. Lawman and resisted the urge, with considerable regret.

"Anne." she said. It was Kimmie's middle name, and it would do for now until she got one that sounded better. The counter girl nodded and went to work constructing the sandwich. "Anne" went to a table and sat in thought for a few moments, before raiding the Kimmunicator to her lips and tapping a button to record a message.

"Hey, Kimmie, just something I think you should know. I need a name. A good name. And none of that idiotic 'different name, same initials' crap. I want my own name. NOW."

She turned the record feature off and spent a few minutes playing around with the various features of the Kimmunicator, finally settling on playng Tetris while she waited for the sandwich.

--

_beep beep be-beep...beep beep be-beep..._

Kim's eyes opened and she realized she was on the floor of a bathroom. She sat up, and shook her head a few times to clear it. When the dizziness subsided, her eyes snapped open.

_Oh, crap. It happened again!_

The Kimmunicator on her wrist was beeping insistently. She brought it up and clicke dit on. "Wade?" she asked a little uncertainly.

"Kim!" Wade said, appearing on the screen. "Where are you? Are you all right?"

"I'm..not sure. I'm in a bathroom somewhere. Looks like a restaurant bathroom, though. Give me a minute, I'm going to take a look outside and get back to you."

Kim got to her feet, pulling off her gloves. As she did so, she noticed the seams at the fingertips were split, as if somethng had slit them open. She stuffed the gloves into the holster strapped to her right leg, next to her grapple gun, and washed her hands in the sink, splashing some water on her face to get rid of the remaining disorentation.

She dried her hands and face, and opened the door, revealing a hallway leading to a deli counter. She sighed in relief at knowing she was in a public place, rather than somebody's residence. She strightened up and walked out into the main part of the deli. A half eaten roast beef sandwich was sitting on a table, and judging form the taste in her mouth, Kim was pretty sure it was hers.

She picked up the basket and the soda cup and took them over to the trash can. She walked up to the counter, where the girl behind it gave her an odd look, looking down at her clothes then back up to her face.

"Had to take my contacts out." Kim said, noting that the girl was looking at her eye color. "They were itching like crazy. How much do I owe you?"

"Um...you already paid." the girl said suspiciously. Kim blinked then quickly regained her composure.

"Oh right. Sorry. Been one of those days, you know? Thanks for the sandwich."

"Yeah..." the girl said slowly. "Have a nice day."

"You too!" Kim said a little too brightly and quickly exited the deli. As soon as she was outside, she called Wade. "Wade? Trace my position and tell Ron to come pick me up."

"He's already on his way. Looks like your...other self didn't go too far."

"What exactly happened?" Kim asked. "I remember confronting Killigan at the clubhouse. I shoved Ron out of the way, and then part of the wall fell on me. And that's it."

Wade nodded. "I hope you aren't too mad, but considering what happened last night, I thought it might be best if I had the Kimmunicator record this mission, just in case."

"Normally, I would be," Kim answered. "But I think this is a seriously weird sitch, so I won't say anything."

Wade nodded and punched a few keys, bringing up the recording. Kim watched and listened as the other her appeared, threatened Killigan, listened to Ron and dove out the window. As the video played, she realized that what Wade and Ron said had to be true. Somehow, she was changing into a different person when she was sleeping.

Someone much more violent and much more dangerous. Someone who liked to hurt people for fun. Someone who, if unchecked, would definitely kill someone at some point.

Someone who had to be stopped.

--

Ron drove up in Kim's car just as the video ended. Kimlooked up and dashed over to him as he got out and hugged him fiercely. She looked up at him.

"You were right. I AM changing. And I don't like her." she said. Ron nodded.

"Well, until we can find a cure, maybe we can reason with her." Ron replied. "She listened to me about not hurting Killigan anymore, right?"

Kim nodded and broke the hug. "Right. Okay, no problem. We'll just wait for it to happen again and then you can..." Kim's voice trialed off as she noticed the little icon on the Kimmunicator's screen tha tindicated there was an audio file recorded. The twoo teen heroes looked at each other for a moment, then Kim hit the buttons that played the message back.

"_Hey, Kimmie, just something I think you should know. I need a name. A good name. And none of that idiotic 'different name, same initials' crap. I want my own name. NOW._"

"She wants a name, now?" Kim said quietly.

"Ummmm," Ron said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe we should let her choose her own name. She might not like what we come up with."

Kim's expression hardened. "That's fair enough, because I know she's not going to like a lot of what I'm going to tell her later," she activated the Kimmunicator an got Wade again.

"Wade, do a search in Lowerton for cheap basement apartments, or empty townhouses or something. I need somewhere isolated, and that we can secure up the wazoo. And then, once you've found the place, turn it into every freedom loving persons nightmare. Cameras, motion detectors, the works. And THEN, do some research on high tech, escape proof restraints."

"Oookay, I can do that." Wade said."And, why am I doing this?"

"We're going to need some place where we can babysit the new member of the team." Kim said, sliding into the driver's seat of the car. Ron climbed into the passenger seat and the two of them took off down the highway.


	5. Chapter 5

"Video cameras?"

"Check."

"Motion detectors?"

"Check."

"Emergency generator?"

"Check."

"TV and DVD player?"

"Check."

"DVD message?"

"Check."

"No less than six locks on each door, including your bedroom?"

"Check."

"Stocked fridge?"

"Check."

"Okay then," Kim said, as she and Ron entered the back room of the basement apartment they had set up as a base of operations to deal with Kim's other self. It had taken a little finessing by Wade, but they had managed to get a three bedroom apartment. One bedroom had been set up for Kim, one for Ron, and the third was designed for one particular purpose.

The bedroom was tiled and lit with fluorescent lighting. A large desk off to one side held a computer, and a small filing cabinet. The center of the room was taken up by a large mahogany chair. Leather harnesses and buckles hung from the sides of the chair. Leather cuffs surrounded the front legs, and the armrests. A keypad with unmarked keys was installed at the end of the right hand armrest.

On a small stand in front of the chair was a TV with a DVD player attached to it. Ron turned both on and slid the DVD into the player, as Kim sat down in the chair and began buckling herself in.

"Now, whatever you do, do not let her out unless she agrees to the rules." she said as she buckled the straps around her ankles.

"Right, KP," Ron said. "Um, and what if she does agree to the rules?"

"Let her out then and give her this." Kim sat up and took the Kimmunicator off her wrist. She tossed it to Ron. "Make sure she has this on. And then, get ahold of Wade and make sure he keeps tabs on where she goes. Whatever you do though, don't mess with her."

"You sure? I mean, I could follow her and make sure she doesn't, y'know...DO anything." Ron said uncomfortably. Kim noted the tone in his voice and looked up at him.

"This is about Rule Six, isn't it?" she asked softly. Ron blushed and nodded.

Kim smiled ruefully. "Come here."

Ron knelt down next to Kim, who took his face in her hands and brought it close to her own. "Ron, at this point, we're two different people. What she does has nothing to do with how I feel about you, understand? And if I give a little on that, then she might be easier to deal with, rather than telling her she can't do anything at all."

Ron nodded. "But I was hoping that you and me...we could..." Ron's face turned a deep crimson and he began hyperventalting. Kim pulled his face close and kissed him deeply. When they seperated, Kim smiled wickedly at Ron.

"Once this is all over, Ron, I promise you, it will be SO worth it." she said. Ron smiled, and turned yet another shade of red. Kim grinned and leansed back, strapping the harness across her chest. She slid her left hand into the left cuff, and her right hand into the right cuff. Suddenly, her head snapped up and she looked at Ron.

"I can feel her coming. You ready?" she asked. She tapped several of the keys on the keypad under her right hand. When she finished, the cuffs on the arms of the chair strapped her wrists to the arms.

Ron stood back up and stepped back to the TV, picking up the remote control. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"I love you."

"I love you too, KP."

"Good luck, Ron."

"Good night, Kim."

Green eyes closed. Purple eyes opened.

The woman who had taken Kim's place looked around slowly, taking in her surroundings, the restraints keeping her in the chair, and then at Ron standing in front of her. Her lips parted in a slow, wicked smile.

"You and Kimmie decided to jump past the vanilla sex and right into the kinky stuff? Boy, the shine must be wearing off the relationship at a pretty fair clip."

Ron frowned, and tried to keep from blushing. "Kim has a message for you."

The woman's grin widened. "Does she now, ACTually? And the hardcore bondage gear is here because...?"

"To make sure you pay attention, first of all." Ron answered. "Because I'm not letting you out until you hear what Kim has to say."

The woman leanded back in her chair with a petualnt sigh. "All right. Let's hear what Princess Perfect has on her so-called mind."

Ron held up the DVD remote from the TV stand and pressed a button. The blue screen on the TV flickered then resolved into a picture of Kim sitting in the chair, unrestrained.

"Hello." Kim said. "Obviously I can't see you, but I know you're listening, especially since we set this up so you aren't going anywhere until you've heard this message."

"Oh for God's sake, just get to the point already." The woman said, rolling her eyes. "God, talk talk talk. No wonder she drives Shego nuts."

Kim on the screen continued. "Clearly, we're going to need some ground rules if this is going to work for both of us. I've come up with those ground rules. If you agree with these rules, Ron will release you from the chair. If not, he will record your counterproposal, and you will remain in the chair until the next change happens and I can review it. We wil continue this way until the rules are established to our mutual satisfaction.

"Now, onto the rules:

"Rule One: My family, Ron, his family, Wade, his family and Monique and her family are all off limits. This is strictly between us and there's no need to involve them. You leave them alone, and I will keep your existence a secret from them.

"Rule Two: No killing. From what I've seen, hurting people doesn't bother you, so I doubt killing will either. If you kill someone, anyone, I will turn myself in and make it clear to the authorities about what has been happening."

"Oh SURE," the woman replied to the screen. "Just take ALL the fun out of everything."

"Rule Three:" Kim said. "We both keep the Kimmunicator on our person or in our general vicinity at all times. It will record our activity and be uploaded into the computer on your left every twelve hours. You will have access to what I'm doing, and I will have acess to what you're doing. If the footage shows you've been complying with the rules, I'm willing to negotiate blocks of time without surveillance.

"Rule Four: As it seems one of us is awake while the other sleeps, I propose working out a schedule for what times of day we both agree to go to sleep to allow the other to be in control. Leave your proposed times on the Kimmunicator. However, if I am on a mission when a change is scheduled to occur, then obviously it can't happen. If that is the case, then any time that you are shorted on will be returned to you later, and I will even agree to make this lost time surveillance free."

"My God, she actually IS trying to be fair about this, isn't she?" the woman laughed. "She is SUCH a Pollyanna."

"However," Kim continued. "If I am knocked out during a mission and it proves to be enough to allow you to take control, you will follow Ron's instructions and comply with the other rules to bring the mission to a successful conclusion, at which point you may continue with whatever plans you have, with the lost time due to mission completion refunded to you.

"Rule Five: No drugs, no cigarettes. I am willing to concede alcohol, provided it doesn't go to excess. When you've decided on a name, Wade is ready to provide you with identification. From what I've been told and from the video I've seen, it shouldn't be too hard for you to convince people you're 21.

"Finally, Rule Six..." Kim paused, as if she was steeling herself for this one. "Sex."

The woman in the chair perked up and leaned forward. "Really?" she murmured.

"I'm not stupid." Kim said, "I'm reasonably certain that you're going to have sex when you're in control, sooner or later. There's three boxes of condoms in the bathroom. Each condom in each box is numbered. If you decide to have sex, use them in order. I want to know how often it's happening. If you need more, leave a note. I'll get more. If you don't use them, I will know.

Kim sighed and shifted in the chair. "Now, if, after an agreement on the rules is met, you violate any of them, you will be punished. Most likely by being restrained in the chair during your times in control.But, there may be other, more...severe methods used."

"Oh, gee whiz, Mom, do ya have to be so strict?" the woman said in a whiny voice. She looked at Ron. "She really doesn't trust me, does she?"

"No, I don't." came Kim's voice from the TV. The woman looked sharply at the screen.

"I figure you've just made some comment about me not trusting you. And you're right. I don't." Kim said, "But, since we appear to be stuck with each other, I would rather we are able to work with each other, rather than fighting.

"Now," Kim continued. "Let's talk about what's in this for you."

"FINALLY! The good stuff!" The woman leaned forward again as far as she was able to.

"I've decided to let you choose your own name. Once that's done, as I mentioned, Wade will provide you with identification. Legitimate identification. Driver's license, social security card, the works. You're also welcome to the car. The key to this apartment is the square one on the keychain. You can come and go as you please. There are cameras and motion detectors set up throughout the apartment. They stay on all the time. This is non-negotiable and for your protection as much as mine."

At this point, Ron went over to the desk and opened a drawer, pulling out an envelope. He held it up as Kim went on.

"Ron is now showing you an envelope. There's approximately 1500 dollars in there for you, taken from my college fund. I will provide another 200 dollars per week for you, once again, provided you follow the rules."

Ron opened the envelope and showed the woman the wad of bills. He put them back in the envelope and set it on the desk. He then pointed back at the screen.

"These are my terms. As I said, I am open to negotiation if you do not accept. I should point out though, that Ron will not release you from the chair until the rules are agreed on. I believe I've been more than fair in creating these rules so that we both can have some semblance of a normal life, split though it may be. I strongly urge you to consider accepting. Good luck."

The DVD ended, and Ron switched off the TV. The woman looked up at him slowly.

"So," she said, "Those are the rules, huh?"

"Yes," Ron replied. "Those are the rules."

The wicked grin returned. "You really think you can take me if I say I agree, then change my mind once I'm out of the chair?"

"I've...been through some changes recently." Ron replied.

"Oh, I know." the woman replied. "I still don't think you can take me. I could rip your spine out through your nostrils, if I felt like it."

Ron frowned. "Do you accept the rules, or not?"

"Let me out of the chair, and I will."

"Accept the rules and I'll let you out."

"Release me first."

"Not part of the deal. You accept the rules and you get out. That's the deal." Ron said, firmly.

**"LET ME OUT OF THE GOD DAMN CHAIR!"**

The woman's face twisted into a mask of rage and anger, and she let out a loud inhuman roar that caused Ron to jump back in surprise. He fought down the raw primal terror that had been triggered in his brain, and walked back to the woman and knelt down in front of her, meeting her gaze.

"No." he said, quietly. "You can scream and howl all you want, but unless you accept the rules, you aren't going anywhere. Deal with it."

The two held the gaze for a full minute before the woman leaned back and smiled again. "Well, maybe you aren't a spinless wimp after all. Okay, Ronnie, you and Kimmie have a deal. The rules are fair, and I can live with them."

"Good." Ron came forward and leaned over the keypad. He paused and looked up at the woman, who was glancing at the keypad. "Look up."

She snorted amudsedly, and looked pointedly at Ron's crotch. Ron blushed.

"Higher please." he said.

"Oh, you're no fun at all." the woman replied, pointing her gaze at the ceiling. Ron inputed the code into the pad. The cuffs loosened and he backed away from the chair. The woman looke dstraight at him as she slid her hands free and began undoing the restraints. She stood up slowly and began walking towards Ron.

"Okay, Ronnie, now a little friendly advice," she said sweetly. "As long as the power is flowing to this apartment, and as long as Kimmie can see us, you're okay. But I don't like being talked to in that tone of voice. So..."

The woman's hand shot out faster than Ron could see and yuanked himclose. ROn sucked in his breath as he felt the strength in the arm that held him, and as he saw the madness lstaring at him out of those weird violet eyes.

She continued speaking. "You better hope the power never goes out here. If the lights go out, and Kimmie can't see us...the lights are going out for you. Understand?"

Ron swallowed. "Yeah...I got it."

Her expression brightened. "Good! Gonna go watch TV for a while before I go out. Bring me something to drink will you? Thanks."

She picked up the envelope of cash from the desk and pocketed it before leaving the room. Ron let the air out of his lungs and turned to move the TV and DVD player. As he turned, the woman appeared in front of him, her face having changed into a mask of murderous hate and rage again. She let out another inhuman roar and Ron leaped a full three feet in the air.

Her face returned to normal and she smiled again. "Gotcha!"

--

It was about two hours later, and Ron was finally relaxing. Kim's alter-ego had departed, and he was getting ready to leave the apartment and go back to his house.

He honestly didn't know what to do. Kim seemed to think that sharing the time with her other self was the best solution, but he wasn't so sure. And he didn't trust the other one. She was too wild, too mean, and definitely worse than Kim with no morals.

They needed to find a cure, and fast. He looked down at Rufus, who was munching on some leftover corn chips. The hairless rodent swallowed an dlooke dup at his owner with a quizzical noise.

"I don't know what to do, buddy. It's not like we can just pound her into submission. And Kim's not around to offer ideas. We need to find a cure, and fast."

He got to his feet and put Rufus in his pocket. "Time to go. Mom's probably freaking out wondering where we are."

As Ron threw the chips away, and was making his way to the apartment door, he heard the familiar four note chime of the Kimmunicator. His eyes widened, and he began quickly looking for the source of the noise, convinced that somehow, Kim darker half had managed to leave without it.

As it turned out, the beeping was coming from the computer in the restraint room. He sat down at the desk and moved the mouse. A window popped open and Wade appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Ron. Is Kim there?" he wasked.

Ron shook his head. "She changed. The other one just left."

Wade nodded. "Well, I managed to get Lord Utterson on the line, want me to patch him through?"

Ron considered for a moment. "Put him through, Wade. The sooner we get some answers the sooner we can find a cure for Kim."

Wade tapped a few keys and his image was replaced with the English nobleman's.

"Ah, Mr. Stoppable. So good to hear from you again. How are you and Miss Possible?"

"Um, I'm doing fine, your Lordship...and so is Kim." Ron answered, uncomfortably.

"Excellent, excellent." Lord Utterson replied. "Now then, Mr. Load informs me that Miss Possible had some questions for me concering the issue you recently helped me with?"

"Umm yeah. Kim's not available right now, Lord Utterson, but she asked me to ask you those questions, if it's okay?"

"Capital, dear boy. Fire away."

"Well, it was pretty much just one question, if you don't mind us asking, but what was in that journal you asked us to retrieve?"

Lord Utterson frowned, suspicion registering on his features. "Why exactly do you want to know that, Mr. Stoppable? Has something happened?"

"No no, nothing major!" Ron said quickly, "We just think that, whatever formula was in the journal, DNAmy may have synthesized some of it before we got there. We're pretty sure it was all destroyed, but we thought we'd better be on the safe side just in case it turns up somewhere. You know, have the antidote ready or something."

Lord Utterson's expression turned grim. "Mr. Stoppable, I want to make this very clear to you. If there IS some of that formula out there, you MUST find it and destroy it immediately. It is far too dangerous to be allowed to exist."

"How dangerous?" Ron asked.

There was an awkward pause as Lord Utterson collected his thoughts. "Tell me, Mr. Stoppable, are you familiar with the works of Robert Louis Stevenson?"

"What? _Treasure Island_ and all that? Yeah, I tried reading it but I couldn't really get into it. I mean, why DID they call himn Long John Silver if he only had one leg?"

Lord Utterson cleared his throat, interrupting Ron's ramble. "Sorry," Ron said, "Go on?"

"Are you familiar with _The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_?"

"I...saw the movie?" Ron said, before coughing in embarassment.

"That will do for the purposes of our discussion." Lord Utterson said. "What most people don't realize is that the story is based on actual events. My great-grandfather was the personal solicitor of the man who wrote that notebook.

"Mr. Stoppable, that notebook contained the only set of notes concerning the infamous experiments of Dr. Henry Jekyll."

Ron sat at the desk, stunned. After a moment he opened his mouth. "In the movie, didn't Mr. Hyde eventually...?"

"Yes, Mr. Stoppable, he did. And, as in the films and the novel, Dr. Jekyll died as Mr. Hyde, who, by that point, had taken complete control. And, like in the novel, Dr. Jekyll never found an antidote for his formula. My great-grandfather took it upon himself to ensure that his experiments would never be duplicated. I truly wish now, we had destroyed the notebook long before now."

"So you're absolute sure there's no antidote? Not even some sort of half formula he put together?" Ron asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"No, Mr. Stoppable. In fact, we tried a few times to create an antidote,. All our attempts ended in failure." Lord Utterson answered. "Which is why, once again, I must impress upon you to make it clear to Miss Possible that if any of that formula has been synthesized, it must be found and destroyed. The 19th Century wasn't ready for Hyde's brand of evil, and I fear that the 21st century is just as ill-prepared."

Ron's expression now mirrored that of the nobleman's. "Don't worry, Lord Utterson. Like I said, we're pretty sure it all was destroyed in the lab explosion. And if any of it survived, we'll make sure it's destroyed."

Lord Utterosn's face relaxed. "Thank you very much, Mr. Stoppable. It's good to know you both run such a thorough service. Anything else I can help you with?"

"No, I think that's everything. I'll let Kim know. Thanks for your time." Ron replied.

"Glad to be of service. Have a good evening, Mr. Stoppable."

"You too, Lord Utterson. Good-bye."

"Good-bye."

Lord Utterson disappeared from the screen and Wade reappeared. Ron looked at him, the serious expression now replaced by one of panic.

"Did you hear that, Wade?" he asked.

Wade nodded. "I'm tracking her now. She's at the mall. Doesn't appear to be doing much but browsing."

"Okay, um...you can run a scan on her, right?"

"Already done. I'm analyzing it now. It's doing it without her knowing about it that's going to be the tricky part." Wade answered. "Look, go home, relax, and get some sleep. We can let Kim know what's happening in the morning."

Ron sighed. "All right. God, I hope we still have time."

"We'll make time." Wade said. "I'll work on finding an antidote, you just keep and eye on both of them."

"Right. G'night, Wade."

"Night, Ron."

Wade signed off. Ron slumped in the chair, reached down into his pocket, and held up Rufus.

"There's no other way to say this, buddy, but I think we're in some deep shit this time."

"Uh HUH." Rufus agreed.

Ron then proceeded to have his customary bad news freakout.

---

Across town, the woman who had been Kim Possible was browsing through a bookstore. She had been trying to think of a name, and really wanted something special. She passed over the names in the fiction, myster, and fantasy/sci-fi sections, dismissing them as too plain, too trite, or just plain too stupid.

She was in the Classics section now, and was perusing the offerings there. As she passed her eyes over the titles, she picked up a copy of _Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde_. She pondered the title for a few moments, then put the book back on the shelf.

"Nah," she said, "Edwina Hyde sounds TOO old fashioned...and just plain ugly" She left Classis and went to the other side of the shelf, where the Mythology books rested. She didn't expect to find much, but then she spotted a copy of _L'Morte du Arthur_.

Intrigued, she picked up the book and skimmed through it. She stopped as she got to a section discussing Mordred and the circumstances of his birth. As she read, she spotted a name that held her interest.

_Oooh! A little tweaking and rearranging...yes, that will do quite nicely,_ she thought. She put the book back on the shelf and made her way back tot he mall. She had to make som purchases for the surprise she had in mind for Kimmie.

---

Kim's eyes snapped open as she felt the pressure of her own weight pulling down on her spine. She also felt coarse hemp around her throat that was constricting rapidly. She felt something in her right hand and brought it up to her rapidly darkening field of vision.

It was a sharp serrated kitchen knife. Kim quickly grabbed the rope with her free hand and pulled, giving herslef some slack, which she quickly used the knife to saw through the rope. The rope snapped and Kim fell to the floor, ripping the noose off her head an coughing loudly, triny not to force too much air into her lungs too fast.

Eventually, her vision cleared, and the lightheadedness left her. But she elected to lay on the floor for a little while, until she felt able to sit up. As she cast her eyes around the ceiling, she realized she was in her bedroom in the apartment. The rope she had been hanging from was attached to a large steel hook that had been installed in the ceiling. An overturned chair was lying on the floor next to her.

_That little..._ Kim thought. _She must have felt the change coming, then set things up so that I'd end up hanging to death unless I cut the rope. The question is..._

She sat up and noticed the icon on the Kimmunicator that indicated a message was waiting. She leaned up against the bed, took a few more breaths to clear her head, and retrieved the message.

Her alter ego appeared on the screen, grinning wickedly.

"Hi there, Kimmie! Now that I have your attention, let's talk about MY rules."

Kim frowned, preparing for the worst.

"Your rules, I have to admit, are pretty fair, so I don't really have a problem with them...except for the one about killing, but, eh, you can't have everything. So, I only have one rule."

The alter's expression changed form bright and open to dark and ominous.

"If you try to cure the changes, I will blow my brains out. You can look for one all you want, but if you try to use one..." Kim's face paled as she saw her darker half hold up a pistol. "KABLAM!

"And make no mistake, Kimmie, I WILL find out." The alter's face returned to an open expression. "Now that that's taken care of, some pleasant news. I found my name! I was in the bookstore and found this,"

The pistol disappeared and was replaced by the copy of _L'Morte du Arthur_. "I foudn a character I really liked, and after tweaking a few things so it didn't sound so pretentious, I have a name I really like.

"So," she said, her expression turnning predatory, "From now on, you can call me Faye. Faye Morgan. Have a nice day!"

The image disappeared as the screen went dark. Kim stared at the blank screen for a while, mulling over her next move.

_So she has a name. Okay then...Faye. Let the games begin._


	6. Chapter 6

Kim sighed as she affixed the Visitor's badge to her shirt. Next to her, Ron moved closer and squeezed her hand in support. It had been five weeks since Faye had chosen her name, and so far, things had been working. Kim had held up her end of the bargain by letting Faye have time without the Kimmunicator recording her movements.

But she was sure her darker half was up to something. There had been an increase in the mugging statistics in the Tri-City area over those five weeks, and Kim was sure that Faye had something to do with it, as she hadn't noticed any money missing from her account, nor had Faye left any messages asking for more.

What she had been leaving was a number of dirty dishes in the apartment, a small mountain of Pat Benatar CDs on the desk in the restraint room, and a regular supply of empty condom boxes in the bathroom. There had been many messages left on the subject, all of which had gone unanswered. The silence, coupled with some of the things Kim had seen on the Kimmunicator files on the computer, convinced her that Faye was doing more than just killing time in music stores and god only knew how many motel rooms.

Hence, her and Ron taking a visit to see the one person who could point them in the direction of a cure.

They signed the receipts presented for their personal belongings and the guard buzzed them through to the visitor's room. The two of them took seats at the cheap plastic and chrome table in the middle of the room and waited.

"Do you really think she'll help us?" Ron asked. "I mean, since we did blow up her lab and all."

"She blew the lab up herself, Ron." Kim answered. "And I'm hoping to appeal to her sense of scientific responsibility. Knowing her, she was trying to create an antidote to the formula anyway. I doubt she wanted to unleash an army of evil animals on the world, mutated or not. She's all about cute and cuddly."

"Good point, but still--" Ron's reply was cut off as the door opened and a guard escorted DNAmy into the room. She stared at Kim and Ron for a moment, then smiled cheerily and took a seat at the table. As she sat down, she pulled her Otterfly Cuddlebuddy from her pocket and began stroking it.

"Well, isn't this nice?" Amy asked as she looked at the teen heroes. "And what can I do for the two of you?"

"We'll get right to the point, Dr. Hall," Kim said. Amy quirked an eyebrow.

"'Dr. Hall?'" she said. "Since when have you been so formal, Kim?"

Kim ignored the question. "We know what you were working on. What was in the notebook, and what I've been injected with."

Amy's smile sharpened. "Do you now? Isn't that interesting?"

"We want the cure, lady." Ron said sharply. "You had to be working on it."

Amy giggled. "You're so cute when you try to be tough." She shifted her gaze to Kim. "And what makes you think I'd be able to help you?"

"We know what you do, Amy." Kim answered. "You aren't the type to want to unleash vicious animals on people. I'm betting you were synthesizing the Jekyll formula so you could reverse it and make anybody injected with it so good as to cause cavities."

"If you say so." Amy said, leaning back in her chair. Kim and Ron looked at each other, then back at Amy. Kim took a deep breath.

"I'm asking you to help me...please. The changes are coming a lot more frequently now. And she's not a very nice person."

"Well, I can see your dilemma, but unfortunately, all my notes were in the lab, which SOMEONE forced me to destroy when she stuck her nose in where it wasn't wanted."

"Don't play dumb with me, Amy." Kim said sharply. "We both know you're smarter than you let on.You have to remember something of your notes. Anything!"

Amy giggled again. "Well...to be honest, I DO remember quite a bit about how to recreate the formula, and it'd be pretty easy to set up a new lab to try to figure out an antidote."

Kim sighed in relief and slumped in her seat. "Tell us what you need. I think we can call in some favors..."

"Yes, but Kim, there is one teensy weensy problem." Amy said. Kim sat back up in her chair.

"What?" she asked. Amy's grin turned evil, and she reached into another pocket, pulling out another Cuddlebuddy. This one a cross between a ferret and a cockatoo. It was also a rich gold color.

"Well, I really don't want to help you." Amy said, cooing to the toy. "Kimmie's a little meanie isn't she? Yes she is."

Kim's eyes widened and she frowned. "A Gold-class Ferrockatoo? There's only six of those." A chilling thought came to her mind. "Where did you get it?"

Amy's grin was now far less pleasant, and much more sadistic. "Why don't you ask Faye?"

Kim and Ron stared at her, saying nothing. After a few moments, Amy broke the silence.

"Oh, yes, Kim. She was here. She said you might come to visit. And she brought me this lovely little Ferrockatoo. And, to be honest with you, Kim, I like her LOADS more than I like you."

Kim slumped in her chair again, disappointment clear on her face. Ron looked at her concerned. Amy pocketed the Cuddlebuddies and signaled the guard, who entered.

"I think I'm done talking to these people. I'd like to go back to my cell now, please." Amy said pleasantly. The guard looked at Kim and Ron, but not getting any response, shrugged and took Amy by the arm. As the two of them reached the door, Amy looked back over her shoulder.

"Good-bye, Kim. I'd say see you later, but somehow, I don't think we're going to see each other again. TTFN!" Amy gave a smarmy little wave and left with the guard.

Kim leaned forward and put her face in her hands. Ron slid closer to her, concerned.

"KP? You okay?" He frowned when he got no response. "Um, Kim, you're scaring your boyfriend."

Kim raised her head quickly, but Ron was sure he could see tears in the corners of her eyes, before she wiped them away. "I'm fine, Ron. Just..."

"Worried?"

"Disappointed. But," Kim plastered a smile on her face. "She's not the only geneticist out there. There's got to be something we can do. We just have to figure out what it is."

"Yeah," Ron said, doubt evident in his voice. Kim ignored the tone and got up from the table. Ron followed suit and the two headed out of the room towards the car.

As they reached the parking lot, the Kimmunicator beeped. Kim brought it up and clicked it on. "Hey, Wade. DNAmy was a bust. Any luck on your end?"

Wade shook his head. "Nothing yet, but I'm working on it."

"So what's the sitch then?"

"Just got a call from Dr. Director. Professor Dementor's up to something big and Global Justice wants you and Ron to help out. They're sending a jet to meet you at your place."

"Can do, Wade. We're on it." Kim replied.

"I'll let them know that you're coming." Wade signed off. Kim got out her keys and deactivated the alarm.

"Um, Kim, when's Faye supposed to clock in?" Ron asked, as he got in the car.

"It's a late night for her. She takes over at 11." Kim replied, starting the car. She began making her way out of the parking lot and onto the freeway. "It's 4 now. If we hurry we can take out Dementor and get back to the apartment before she shows up."

"You sure?" Ron said. "She might think it's earlier."

"If that happens, you'll just have to make sure she helps out then! You can do that, can't you?" Kim snapped. Ron frowned at her, surprised at the outburst. Kim's expression softened as she realized what she had said.

"Sorry." she said quietly. "Look, I appreciate all the help you've been these last few weeks, Ron. Just stick with me, okay? It helps to know you're there, even when I'm not."

Ron nodded. "You know I won't give up on you. Even if she tries."

Kim gave him a smile. The rest of the drive was made in silence.

---

Professor Dementor interrupted himself in mid maniacal laugh when the intruder alarms went off.

"Sir, the perimeter defenses have been breached!" came the cry of one of his henchmen form the security montoring station.

Dementor rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you, Gunter, I realized that from ze BLARING NOISE COMING FROM ZE INTRUDER ALARM!"

The evil genius climbed down form his perch in the lab and walked over to the security station. "Now zen, let us see who has decided to drop in."

As the alarm continued to blare, Dementor clicked through the cameras, finally alighting on several Global Justice teams making their way into the compound. He grinned as he noted they had decided to enter through the "weak points" in his lair's defenses that just happened to be lined with the most booby traps. He set the security cameras to record and save those feeds. It would make fine late night viewing later.

He clicked through a few more feeds and his grin widened. "Ah. Ze hero-thief Kim Possible and her not-at-all-likely sidekick. Oh, and look, Dr. Director has decided to chaperone zem. Ah, how romantic unt HOW NAUSEATING!"

Dementor turned form his cringing lackey and looked at the monitors. If they continued on their current course, they would come out right in the testing floor for the robberbots. His grin widened even further.

"Vell then, let us create a little welcome reception for zem, nein?"

The security henchman smirked and hit a button on the console.

--

"Robberbots?" Kim asked Dr. Director as they made their way through the cavernous sewers underneath Dementor's lair.

"Yes," Director replied as she shone her flashlight deeper into the tunnels. "We've been following a series of heists around the world for the last few weeks. They've been infrequent, but excellently planned. In fact, for the longest time, we thought it might have been another attack by Dr. Drakken's Bebe bots, but the items stolen didn't seem to have anything to do with the creation of more Bebes."

"So what's he building then, if it's not more robots?"Kim asked.

"That's the thing," Director replied. Kim detected a note of what sounded like embarrassment in the G.J. leader's voice. "We have no idea. None of the equipment stolen could be used to create some sort of cold fusion device."

"So, Dementor has a giant refrigerator of doom at his disposal?" Ron asked. Kim and Director looked at him incredulously. "What? It could happen!"

"Anyway, we have reason to believe that he's probably using the technology to create some kind of cold fusion powered doomsday device." Dr. Director continued.

"Of course he is," Kim sighed. "You would think he'd get bored with that kind of thing after a while."

"Bad guy, Kim." Ron said, "Not really known for their diversity in the evil plan department."

"True." Kim agreed.

The three of them continued through the tunnels, eventually finding a ladder leading upwards.

"Where does this lead?" Kim asked. Director pulled out a small datapad and brought up the blueprints.

"Looks like it leads to the testing floor. Dementor uses it to test out his robots and vehicles." she answered. "I'll go first, you two follow me up."

The three of them made their way up the ladder. Director opened an access panel and climbed through, shining the flashlight around, checking the darkened room before motioning for Kim and Ron to climb up.

No sooner had the three of them gotten to their feet, than the lights flashed on, blinding them. A steel panel slid over the access hatch, sealing them in the room. As their vision cleared, the three heroes saw Professor Dementor standing on an observation deck that looked over the room. He grinned down at them, before letting out an evil laugh.

"Welcome, hero-theif type people, to your DOOM!" He gloated. "I'm afraid, Frauline Doktor, zat your Global Justice goon squad WILL NOT BE JOINING US!" Dementor hit a button and two large viewscreens mounted into the walls illuminated, showing the Global Justice agents being held under heavy guard in laser cages.

"Let them go, Dememtor!" Director snarled.

"Ja, ja. I know ze drill. Let me CUT TO ZE CHASE, ZEN!" Dementor hit another button and a battery of laser cannons sprouted from the ceiling and began firing in all directions.

"Split up!" Kim cried, leaping out of the way of a volley of laser fire. The other two did likewise. Ron dashed across the room, dodging left and right as each laser blast seemed to land direclty in his path.

Kim dashed towards one of the walls, timing the laser blasts in her head. She paused in front of the wall, waited a second, then leaped up, bounced off the wall and through the air. She repositioned herself and grabbed the barrel of one of the laser cannons, swinging her legs to spin the cannon around and use it to blast it's brethren. A few stray shots managed to hit a section of the wall in such a way that it blew a hole in one of the walls. The remaining cannons sputtered and died. Kim smiled up at Dementor and dropped to the floor.

"So, is that all you've got, Professor?" she taunted. Up on the observation deck, Dementor growled.

"Not by a long shot, FRAULINE!" He stabbed another button on the console in front of him and hatches opened in the ceiling. After a few seconds a platoon of robberbots dropped into the room. They were spindly, humanoid shaped constructs, with faceless heads and wiry frames.

"Great, we're being attacked by Bionicles." Kim said. Ron and Dr. Director joined her as the robberbots began to close in.

"Kimberly," Director whispered. "If I'm right, that hole you blew in the wall leads to Dementor's cold fusion device."

"Gee, that's convenient." Ron said. "You don't see that kind of economy of space in lairs much anymore."

"Focus Ron," Kim said. "What do you need from us?"

"Keep them busy long enough for me to get through the wall, I'll take care of the doomsday device."

"Check." Ron said. He glanced at Kim and grinned. Kim smiled back, knowing that Dr. Director had no idea what they had been working on since the Lorwardian invasion.

The expression on the Global Justice Leader's face was priceless as she saw both Kim and Ron leap into the fray and begin taking out the robberbots with a deadly efficiency. She shook off her shock at Ron's newfowned fighting skills, made sure Dementor wasn't looking, and ducked out the hole in the wall.

For a high tech cold fusion powered doomsday device, it was ridiculously easy to blow up.

--

Kim fired her grapple gun into the rafters and kicked off, swinging into a team of robberbots, knocking them off their feet and crashing into the wall. She cut the cable and flipped through the air, kicking another one down, before landing on her feet, one leg extended to cushion the impact. She glanced behind her to see how Ron was doing.

She smiled to herself as she saw Ron dive between the legs of one robberbot, hook one of it's ankles with his feet, the grab the ankles of another robber bot and bring them both together with a loud smash. Ron rolled away out of the wreckage, got to his feet, spun on the spot and caught a bot that was sneaking up on him square int he chest plate.

Up on the observation deck, Dementor blinked at Ron's fighting prowess.

"First Kim Possible gets ze self-healing, spring-stepping with ze hand-thing battle suit, und now ze sidekick has become a MARTIAL ARTS MASTER?! WHY AM I ZE LAST ONE TO KNOW ABOUT THESE THINGS?!"

Deciding to vent his frustration in true villainous style, he pressed a button on the console in front of him. "Well, let us see how zey like ZIS ONE!"

"Ron!" Kim called, kicking a robberbot away from her. "Maneuver 12!"

"On it, KP!" Ron called back. He leaped into the air, pulled an impressive handspring off the shoulders of the bot he had been fighting and over to Kim. Kim blinked as he landed next to her.

"Nice one." She said. Ron smiled.

"Learned from the best." he replied. Kim returned the smile and turned her back to Ron, who did likewise. The robberbots closed in, surrounding the two teen heroes. Kim and Ron hooked their arms together.

"Ready..." Kim said.

"Set..." Ron replied.

"GO!"

Both of them leaped into the air and began running across the fronts of the robberbots in front of them. They began running in circles letting pure momentum carry them along, kicking each bot in turn as it came forward to attack. They hovered parallel to the ground, dwindling the attacking machines' numbers. When the group began to thin to the point that their momentum couldn't carry them any further, they unhooked their arms, and pushed off each other's back, plowing feet first into the remaining few bots around them.

They high fived each other.

"Nice work, partner." Kim said. Ron colored slightly and smiled.

"Thanks, KP, but it was your idea."

"True but I couldn't do it without--" Kim suddenly froze and blinked rapidly. Ron's smile quickly turned to a concerned frown. As he watched, he saw Kim's eyes change form green to purple and back to green again.

"Kim?" He took her by the shoulders. "Stay with me, Kim! Faye, you don't clock in yet!"

Kim shook her head and looked at Ron. "She's coming, Ron. I don't think I'm going to be able to stop her."

"UND NOW, FRAULEIN POSSIBLE, PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM ZE HAND OF MY GREATEST INVENTION TO DATE: ZE UBERROBBERBOT 9000!"

The two teen heroes watched as a steel plated door across the room opened and the hulking form of the Uberrobberbot lurched into the room. A mass of gleaming chrome and flashing lights, it's limbs were the size of tree trunks and the lack of treads was the only thing preventing it from being classified as a tank.

The two teens gulped as the shadow of the bot passed over them. Ron felt Kim take his hand and squeeze it.

"I'll do the best I can, Ron," she said quietly, "But if she shows up, try to get her to help you and Dr. Director."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but changed his mind and nodded. "So let's take it out before she decides to show up. You hit it high..."

"And you hit it low." Kim finished, her usual; confident grin returning. Ron knelt down and laced his fingers together, Kim placed one foot int hem and Ron thrust her into the air. As Kim somersaulted towards the Uberrobberbot's head, Ron knelt down and dashed towards it's legs, slamming his shoulder into the knee like a linebacker.

As Ron plowed into the bot's legs, Kim lifted one leg high and brought it down in a mid air axe kick into the machine's head. The chromed skull caved in under the power behind the kick. Kim Kicked off the bot and backflipped to the ground, as Ron managed to knock the robot's legs out from under it.

Unfortunately, he did so in such a way that the bot fell forward towards Kim.

"KIM!" Ron cried, as the bot fell forward directly onto Kim. As he saw the bot crash tot he floor, he winced in anticipation of the impact.

Which didn't come. Ron blinked and stared at the lopsided bot, which looked like it was hovering off the ground. There was a loud grunt of exertion and the bot flew into the air and directly towards the observation deck.

--

Dementor's eyes widened under his hood as he saw the bot come towards him.

"Oh, viessen doodles." he muttered, just before the bot slammed into the observation deck. He groaned loudly as he fought to keep conscious after the impact. He pulled himself out from under the bot's wreckage and rolled onto his back.

Her glanced up as he heard a snap and felt cold metal around his wrist. Dr. Driector stood over him, holding onto the other end of the handcuffs. "Game's over, Professor. The Cold Fusion Oscillation Disinhibitor is shut down." she said, smiling.

Dementor smiled back. "Perhaps, Fraulein Doctor, but zen, I have always enjoyed games which go into OVERTIME!" With his free hand he quickly tapped his belt buckle. Dr. Director snapped the other handcuff to the railing of the observation deck, and looked down at the testing room floor, where several other doors were opening.

There were at least forty robberbots behind each door, and only two teenage heroes to deal with them. Director was sure there was going to be a slaughter.

She was right.

---

"Kim, are you okay?" Ron asked as he hurried towards where Kim was standing. As he got closer, his expression fell.

Kim's hair was about two shades too dark, and when she looked over her shoulder, purple eyes flashed in amusement.

"Sorry, Ronnie," Faye Morgan answered, "Kimmie's checked out for the night. She just couldn't hack it. So I stepped in, and now I'm stepping out. Ta!"

Faye reached into the holster strapped to her leg and pulled out the grapple gun. She took aim and was about to pull the trigger when the doors surrounding the room opened, revealing the army of robberbots.

"Oh MAN!" Ron said, seeing the army. "Faye, um, I realize this really isn't your thing and all but--"

Faye held up a hand, cutting him off, returning the grapple gun to the holster with her other hand.. "No, it isn't. But then again, these things aren't actually people, are they?"

"Well, um," Ron began, noting the robots coming closer. " I guess not. I mean, they are robots and all..." He trailed off as he saw the demented gleam in Faye's eyes and her lips curled up into a psychotic grin.

Faye cracked the knuckles on each hand, then her neck. "Good," she said. "This is going to be a lot more fun than bar hopping."

With that she leaped into the air and crashed into the crowd of bots. She grabbed the arm of one and with a vicious yank, pulled the arm off and proceeded to knock the heads off the robberbots with it. When she tired of that, she dove down, grabbed one of the bots by the ankles and began spinning in place, knocking dozens of the robots into the walls.

She three the remains of the bot she was swinging around as it began sparking dangerously. She looked around for another target, paused, and dove aside as three of them tired to attack her from behind. She kicked the head off one, hurled another across the room and into the wall. She then held up one hand and Ron goggled as her fingernails extended, ripping through the tips of the glove she wore, and hardened into claws, which she used to bury her hand deep inside the armor plating of the robot. She ripped out a mass of circuitry and wiring and the robot spasmed and sputtered before collapsing at Faye's feet. Faye's grin was almost completely wrapped around her head, and her eyes were dilated with excitement.

"WHO'S NEXT?!" She cried out in delight. She caught sight of the rest of the robberbots and dove into the fray, with a wild yell. Ron started in shock, unable to turn away form the carnage as well as being unable to keep from imagining what he'd be looking at if the robberbots were human beings.

Eventually, the robberbots were dispatched, and Faye stolled back over to Ron, wiping her brow. "My GOD, that was incredible!" she said brightly. She grabbed Ron by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a deep, forceful kiss. "Ahh, thanks for convincing me to stay, Ronnie. That was fun. But now, I'm off. You can clean up here, right? Thanks!"

With that, Faye fired the grapple into the rafters and was gone in seconds. Ron rubbed his face with one hand, and turned to leave...

...only to come face to face with Dr. Director, who had hauled Dementor down to the testing floor.

"Who was that and where did she come from, Ronald?" Director asked.

"A THIRD one?" Dementor whined. "How many more of these surprises MUST I ENDURE! OWWWW!" Dementor passed out as Director zapped him with her Global Justice Stopwatch. She handed the mad scientist off to several of the freed G.J. agents, then turned back to Ron.

"Now, as I was saying, who was that?" she repeated. Ron sighed and gave Director one of the most world weary looks she had ever seen.

"Her name is Faye...and believe me, we'd rather not have her as part of the team." With thqat, Ron turned from the Global Justice leader and made his way out of the lair to meet the ride Wade had set up for him.

Behind him, Dr. Director frowned in confusion and worry.

---

Kim came to as dawn was breaking. To her surprise, she was lying on the couch in the treehouse behind Ron's house. She sat up and looked at the Kimmunicator. There were no messages. She sighed in frustration and recorded one of her own.

"The next time you feel an unscheduled change coming on, do us both a favor and make sure to leave a message, even if it's just to let me know where you parked the car. Thanks."

She go up off the couch and began climbing down the tree. She sneaked through the Stoppable backyard and into the backyard of her own house. She got her keys out of her pocket and slippe dthe key for th eback door into the lock.

No sooner had she turned the key and heard the bolt open, the door wooshed open, and Kim looked up at the stern and borderline panicked faces of her parents.

"Um...hi?" Kim said, aware of the blush that was forming on her cheeks. Then she heard the nine words she dreaded more than anything else in her life.

"Kimberly Ann Possible, we need to have...a TALK."

The fact that it was her mother saying them only upped the dread factor.

---

Dr. Director was sitting at her desk, going over the recordings of the raid on Prof. Dementor's lair. She was thrilled to see that Ron Stoppable was finally able to hold his own in a fight. It made the likelihood of recruiting Team Possible in the future much easier. Project: Ron Factor aside, Stoppable had always seemed...unsuitable. At least as far as G.J. regulations went. Not that she had any intention of distracting them form their college studies.

After all, Global Justice required at least an Associate's Degree before an applicant could even be considered for formal training.

As she continued reviewing the footage, Director frowned as she saw the sudden appearances of the woman Stoppable had referred to as "Faye." She backed the footage up a few moments, and noted something odd.

When Faye had shown up, Kim Possible had vanished from the scene completely. Director backed the video feed up further.

There was Kim taking on a few of Dementor's goons. She tossed the one who ended up landing on Dementor, and then she...

Director's good eye widened. She paused the feed, backed it up again and slowed it down, wanting confirmation of what she thought she saw.

"My God, Kimberly," she whispered. "What's happening to you?"

The phone on Director's desk rang. Not taking her eyes off the screen, she hit the button for the speaker phone. "Director. Go."

"Um, call for you, Dr. Director. Alpha Clearance." came the voice of one of her assistants.

Director sighed. Alpha Clearance meant it was the U.N. Security Council, from which G.J. got their mandate. Probably whining about the budget again.

"I'm busy. Tell them I'll talk to Finance later."

"Um, it's not about the budget, Dr. Director." The assistant said. "And it's not the Security Council..."

Director turned and looked at the phone. The only other organization with Alpha Clearance was--

"...It's ICAD." The assistant pronounced the acronym "eye-cad," confirming her suspicions.

"What department?" A call from ICAD, while never good news, wasn't a total emergency.

"Um...ICAD One." the assistant answered.

"Shit." Director muttered under her breath. ICAD One was the code name of the head of the International Centre for Assurance Development. She had never met the man in person, but her encounters with him were never pleasant. He had a iron fist approach to crimefighting and a total amoral attitude when it came to things like human rights. If Dr. Director had her druthers, she'd prefer to find the bastard and lock him up.

Unfortunately, ICAD was a special international security department created by the U.N. Security Council and it was also the department to which Global Justice had to answer to. Which meant that ICAD One was technically her boss. A fact that she was sure ICAD One loved to lord over her.

She sighed in frustration. "Put him on."

There was a click, and then a gravelly masculine voice came onto the line. "Hello, Dr. Director. Been a long time."

"Not long enough for me." Director replied. "What do you want, One?"

ICAD One made a clicking noise with his tongue. "Why the animosity, Director? We both want the same thing."

"Tell that to those 14 civilians in Belize."

"Ancient history, Betty. We need to look to the future."

Director rolled her eye. Oh lord, the "look to the future" bit. This was never good.

"The future? In what way?" she asked.

"I've been viewing the footage of your last operation. Interesting use of the cheerleader and her sidekick."

Director, relaxed. Ah, another arguement about using "untrained" independent crimefighting operatives. She'd been through this one before with ICAD One. "If you're going to open up this can of worms again--"

"Not at all. In fact, I have to admit, you were right about them. Seems like they've only gotten better with age. Even the sidekick seems to have learned some competence."

"Glad you agree. You just call me to offer empty complements?"

"You really need to curb that tongue of yours, Betty." ICAD One's voice became harder and less pleasant, if that was even possible. "It could lead to all sorts of trouble."

"What. Do. You. Want?"

"I want the cheerleader."

Director looked at the phone in shock. "What do you want with Kimberly?"

"Actually, I'm not interested in the cheerleader, so much as the person she changed into in the middle of the fight."

Director swallowed. Clearly, she wasn't the only one who had noticed Kim's metamorphosis on the feed. "What do you want with her, One?"

"You saw what she did to Dementor and his goons. She's got talents and skills that the cheerleader doesn't. Imagine those talents and skills in our hands."

"You mean your hands." Director corrected. "Don't think I've forgotten Madrid either."

"Regardless, the Security Council has spoken. Find Possible, and bring her in. We get her, we have the other one, and then we can figure out how to turn her to our advantage."

"What makes you think I'm going to even lift one finger to help you kidnap Kim?"

ICAD One chuckled. "Well, Betty, what do you think the Security Council has authorized me to do if you don't?"

Director growled. Those bastards. They'd actually given him the go ahead to pull G.J. out from under her. He'd always used the threat before when he wanted her to do his dirty work. This only indicated how badly he wanted Kim. Which made the situation even more intolerable.

"All right, dammit." she answered, deflating.

"Don't double cross me, Betty." ICAD One said, the menace growing in his voice. "I'm letting you bring her in because you have a relationship with her. You don't want me to take over the job."

"Understood."

"Good. Three days." There was a click and then silence. Director sighed again and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm sorry, Kimberly."

---


	7. Chapter 7

"And that's everything," Kim finished. "Wade's been trying to find a cure, while Ron and I have been trying to keep Faye from going completely out of control."

Anne frowned. "And you've STILL been going out on missions during all this?"

"What else could I do?" Kim said, "If I just stayed at home, Faye could have gotten a hint as to what Wade's been up to and done something...bad if she didn't like it."

"Bad?" Kim's father, James, quirked an eyebrow. "Kimmie, I strongly suggest you tell us anythign you've left out so far."

Kim sighed. "I was trying not to worry you. Faye says that if I DO find a cure and try to use it, she's going to blow her brains out. Which means she blows MY brains out."

"She has a gun?" James asked.

"She had one in her message to me."

"Where is it now?

Kim shook her head., "No idea. We only share memories up until the first time I changed, beyond that, aside from the Kimmunicator files, neither of us knows what the other one's done. I'm just glad she seems to prefer a hands-on approach when she's been active."

The Possible paretns sat in silence for a few moments. Kim spent the time wishing she could just vanish and take her problems with her. They didn't deserve this. She was supposed to be getting ready to go out on her own, be a responsible adult.

"All right, then." James said. "Have Wade email us his analysis so far. I'll talk to a couple of the boys in the chem lab at work and see what they can come up with."

"Good idea," Anne replied. "In the meantime, I'll look at the brain scans of you and Faye that he's done. Maybe there's a clue to how to stop the changes there."

Kim blinked at her parents. "You mean, you're not mad?"

"Kimmie," Anne said kindly, "You're our daughter and you're in trouble. How could you possibly think we could be mad about that?"

"I just...I didn't want you to worry. And, I didn't want you to be in any danger from her."

"Danger?" James's eyebrow went up again. "Why would we be in danger from her?"

Kim looked at her father. "She's implied things. Nothing major, but she's left the occasional taunt on the Kimmunicator. I just thought it would be better if we played it safe."

James and Anne exchanged a look. "Fair enough," James said. "All right, we'll keep our conferences with Wade ont he QT until we have something. As long as you don't knw what we're doing, Faye won't know what we're doing."

"Okay," Kim said," Should I stop the missions for now?"

"No," Anne answered after a few moments. "While it would be a good idea in theory, since the precident's already been established, and she seems to be keeping to the rules, you better keep going. Any sudden stops might make her suspicious."

"Check." Kim said. "Anything else?"

"Well, maybe we--"

The conversation was interrupted by the Kimmuicator going off. Kim hit the button. "What's up, Wade?"

"Hey, Kim. Nothing major but Monique told me that you need to get to Club Banana ASAP. She said it was urgent."

"Club Banana?" Kim asked. "But there's nothig going on there--CRAP!"

Kim got up from the table, startling her parents.

"What is it, Kimmie?" Anne asked.

"I'm late for work! And I've already missed two shifts this week!" Kim looked back at the Kimmunicator. "Thanks Wade!"

"Wait a sec, Kimmie-cub." James came over and looked at the Kimmunicator. "Wade, as soon as Kimmie leaves, set up a video conference wtih me and Dr. Possible. Kim's breifed us on the situation with Faye, and we're going to help out."

"Can do. I'll be ready in ten minutes." Wade replied before signing off. Kim gave her parents a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Gotta go! I'll be back later." She bolted for the door, grabbing her car keys off the hook next to it.

"Kim!" Anne called. Kim paused halfway out the door an looked back.

"Be careful." Anne finished. Kim nodded and disappeared, leaving the Possible parents to prepare themselves to face one of the biggest and most personal challenges of their lives.

---

"I'm sorry, Kim," Monique said, her face full of regret. "They wanted me to just tell you over the phone, but I figured you should hear it in person from me."

"I'm...fired?" Kim said, shocked. "But, I thought we had worked out the whole sitch with the missions?"

"It's not about the missions, Kim." Monique answered. "They were fine with you missing work because of the missions. But Kim, you've missed nine shifts in the last three months. No call-no shows, not missions."

Monique sighed. "I really tried, Kim. They really tried, but rules are rules and we bent them as far as we can go. We're letting you go."

Kim's face fell and she looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Monique."

Monique blinked. "You're sorry?"

"I let you down. I never meant to do that when I took this job."

:Kim," Monique said, "I'm not saying we can't be friends anymore. The manager just said that you had to be let go. I still like you."

Kim looked back up and gave Monique a rueful smile. "I know that. It's just, I've never really let anyone down before. I just need a little while to get used to the idea, you know?"

"Yeah, I can see that. Listen, I get off at four, wanna catch a movie and a late lunch?"

Kim smiled. "Sounds good. I'll see what's playing and--" She was cut off by a beep from the Kimmunicator. It wasn't the usual four note beep that indicated Wade was calling. Kim brought her wrist up and tapped a button. The screen lit up with the words "Scheduled Change in 10 Minutes." She looked back up at Monique.

"Darn it. I'm gonna have to take a raincheck on that Monique. I forgot about this...appointment I have this afternoon. How about tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Monique said brightly. "I've got tomorrow off anyway. Call you later?"

"Yep. And, again, I'm sorry I flaked out on you Monique."

Monique smirked. "Would you knock it off? It's not the end of the world. Now, get going before you're late."

Kim smiled and waved as she left the store. "Can do. Bye!"

As soon as Kim left the store, her shoulders sagged. It was starting to get to her. The unscheduled changes were messing with her sleep cycle. Faye rarely got any sleep when she was in charge, which meant that Kim more often than not came back exhausted. It didn't matter that their minds were effectively unconscious when the other one was awake, the body still felt tired.

_And Faye always makes sure I get stuck with the need to sleep. _Kim thought as she rounded the corner. She was heading for the more deserted areas of the mall. There was a resroom down at this end that was almost always empty. It was a good place to have a change happen. Kim raised the Kimmunicator and checked the countdown to the next change. Three minutes.

"So, even Monique's decided you're so out of touch that you can't work at Club Banana anymore?" came a snide voice. Kim froze.

_Oh God, please not her, not now._

Kim turned around to see Bonnie Rockwaller standing behind her, her usual expression of high horse contempt plastered on her face. Kim grit her teeth out of habit.

"Don't you have an assignment for summer school to finish, Bonnie?" she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Not anymore. Junior had his dad make some phone calls. One stupid essay and voila, instant graduate." Bonnie smirked. Kim always considered it the sign of a truly sick and twisted universe that Bonnie had hooked up with Senor Senior, Jr.

"Well, congratulations. I'm happy for you. Catch you later." Kim turned to leave again, glancing at the Kimmunicator screen. Two minutes.

"What's the rush, K? Gotta get back to that loser boyfriend of yours?"

Kim had spun around before she even realized it. "Ron is NOT a loser!"

"Has he even gotten into a college yet?" Bonnie asked, grinning wickedly. "Or is he just going to go flip burgers at Cow n Chow for a living?"

Kim growled in the depths of her throat. "I don't have time for this I--" The Kimmunicator beeped again. Kim looked at it. One minute.

"What's that? Another 'world saving mission' again? God, Kim haven't you grown out of this phase yet?"

"Bonnie," Kim began. She could feel Faye waking up, moving aroudn in the back of her mind. "Leave. Now. Before I do something I'm going to regret."

Bonnie frowned. "What the hell do you mean by that? You wanna start something, Kim?"

"No, I want you to leave. Before something happens we'll both regret." Kim squeezed her eyes shut. Behind the lids, her eyes began shifting down the spectrum from green towards purple.

"Are you done being freaky yet?" Bonnie said, frowning at Kim's facial contortions.

"I'm trying to salve my conscience...while I still have one." Kim answered. Bonnie blinked. Kim's voice had sounded...odd. Like two people were speaking at the same time.

"Bonnie," Kim's oddly echoing voice said. "Go. Now."

Something in Kim's voice made the hairs on the back of Bonnie's neck stand on end. She nervously turned to look behind her, sure that there would be something there. All she saw was the rest of the deserted mall corridor. She turned back towards Kim.

Except Kim wasn't there. Instead there was a taller girl, with darker red hair. She was wearing the same clothes Kim had been wearing. The other girl's eyes opened, and Bonnie sucked in her breath at the sight of the oddly flourescent purple eyes.

The purple-eyed girl looked at Bonnie, frowned in an expression of thought, then a grin slowly crept across her face. As it did, Bonnie felt the blood rush from her face as the smile turned malevolent and predatory. Adrenalin began pumping through her veins as a lower part of her brain reacted to the inherent wrongness of the person in front of her.

Bonnie began slowly backing away. The other girl didn't move. She just stood there, watching and smiling, nearly all her teeth showing in the mall lighting. Bonnie wanted to ust start running, buyt the same instincts telling her to run were also telling her that turning her back on the newcomer would be a phenominally bad idea.

"Bonnie..." the girl said, slowly. Bonnie froze in her tracks. The girl took a couple of steps forward.

"K-keep away from me!" Bonnie said, taking a quick glance behind her, deciding to run like hell. When she turned back, she screamed. The girl was standing right in front of her.

The grin got even wider, if that was possible. "Oh, Bonnie, you ARE in trouble. You aren't on the list."

"List?" Bonnie repeated, confusion being added to the rising feeling of panic coming up her spine. "What list?"

"The list of people I'm not allowed to mess with. You aren't on it. You know what that means?"

Bonnie didn't bother to wait for the answer, she turned and began dashing down the corridor. As she ran, a shadow passed over her and she skidded to a halt as the girl landed right in front of her, and grabbed the front of her shirt.

"Naughty, naughty." the girl said, waving a finger in front of Bonnie's terror filled eyes. "Running away in the middle of a conversation. Now, as I was saying, you aren't on the list Bon-Bon. Which means I get to have some fun. LOTS of fun."

Bonnie opened her mouth to protest, but the girl thrust her head forward. There was a sharp cracking sound, and Bonnie sank blisfully into the darkness.

---

Bonnie awoke to the sound of bells. She groaned and sat up, waiting for her vision to clear. As it did, she realized that the room was still dark. She was sitting on a display stand in one of the major department stores at the mall. Only the occasional light in the ceiling was illuminated, casting most of the store into shadow.

The bells were still playing. Bonnie looked around, and saw a small music box sitting on the display next to her. After listening for a few moments she recognized the tune.

Ring Around the Rosy.

A folded piece of paper was underneath the music box. Bonnie picked it up and looked around, wondering where the girl with the freaky purple eyes was. She unfolded the paper and stifled a small "eep" of fright.

_Bon-Bon,_

_You've finally got your wish. You're here, in the mall, after closing. Security has been efficently removed from consideration_._ And you just might get out of here alive. Follow the signs to get out of here and then we'll talk about you leaving. _

_Oh, and I wouldn't think about trying not to follow these instructions, there may not be any security guards, but the cameras work just fine._

_Get cracking._

_--F.M._

Bonnie dropped the note and looked up at the ceiling at one of the recessed black hemispheres that held one of the security cameras. She swallowed and stood up, looking around for a sign.

There weren't any. Bonnie looked up at the camera again, then checked in the area some more. Whoever that girl was, she was freakin' crazy and Bonnie had no intention of ticking her off. She frantactly began looking for any sort of sign, but there wa snothing arouns her except clothes racks and a mannequin.

Wait a minute.

Bonnie turned and looked around the store, slower this time. There were no other mannequins in sight. And the one she could see was directly under one of the illuminated lights. Bonnie walked across the floor to it. As she got closer,s he noticed that one arm was stretched out and the mannequin's head was looking in the direction of a nearby "Employees Only" door.

Bonnie dashed across the room and through the door. On the other side, resting on the floor was a mannequin arm, pointing towards the far end of the hallway. Bonnie made her way down the hall, encountering more disembidied mannequin parts; a hand pointing the way here, a leg propping open a door there. Eventually, she came to another unmarked door in a service corridor behind the department store.

Another note was taped to the door. Bonnie took it off the door and squinted at it, trying to make out the writing in the dim lighting.

_If you're reading this, you're clearly smarter than I thought. Hope your brain isn't creaking too badly from lack of use, because you're going to need it. Oh, and one more thing, when you go through the door, watch your head._

_--F.M._

Bonnie crumpled the note in her hand, anger starting to cut through the haze of fear. If that psycho thought a bunch of taunting notes and a darkened mall store were going to scare her, she clearly didn't know Bonnie Rockwaller.

Taking a deep breath, Bonnie placed a hand on the door and shoved it open. Something on a rope swung down and hit her right in the face.

"OWWWW!" Bonnie put one hand on her nose as she fell to floor. Her other hand caught the object and grabbed it. She pulled, attmepting to get up, but the rope smapped and she hit the floor again. She sat up, picked up the object, and screamed.

She was holding her own severed head.

After a few moments and one panicked confirmation that her head was still attached to her neck, Bonnie realised what she was holding was a mannequin head made up to look like her. She snarled. _Oh, that is IT._

Tossing the head aside, Bonnie got to her feet and stalked through the door. She emerged into one of the main corridors of the mall. It was darker out here, which was odd since most malls kept the lights on all night for security. Like the department store, there was an occasional light on, casting pools of lights here and there. Bonnie began walking down the corridor, making her way to the nearest exit.

She came to the glass doors after a few minutes. She could se that night had fallen outside, and the parking lot was empty. She sighed in relief and pushed on the doors, which refused to open.

"You won't be getting out that way." came a mocking voice. Bonnie spun around, looking for the speaker.

"It's called a PA, Bon-Bon." the girl's voice echoed mockingly throughout the mall. "Anyway, here's the deal. The only unlocked door is at the other end of the mall. You're going to have to make your way there to get out.

"There's just one little catch. I'm going to be out there waiting for you. And if you aren't out in five minutes, you aren't leaving. Good lu-uuuuck."

Bonnie snarled again and began running towardss the other end of the mall. Middelton Mall wasn't a huge mall, but it was fairly long. Even so, Bonnie figured five minutes would be more than enough time to get to the other end.

As she turned the corner leading to the center of the mall, what little light there was cut out, leaving her in darkness. The sudden change causde her to misstep and trip over her own feet. She hit the tile floor with her chin and let out a yelp of pain.

"Awww, Bonnie faw down go boom." came the psycho girl's voice. "Better hurry. You're running out of time. Oh wait, how about a little music?"

As Bonnie got to her feet, she heard a loud guitar riff and the sound of Pat Benatar filled the mall.

_You've been set up one too many times_

_The perfect victim for the perfect crime_

_You left yourself wide open to the pain_

_So close your eyes now_

_You're out walkin' in the rain_

_You've got a burning desire to be The Victim_

_You're bleeding from the soul_

_You're hurting from the heart_

_Things you can't be told are gonna tear you apart_

Bonnie got to her feet as the music played and began slowly making her way down the corridor. Up ahead where the corridor intersected with one of the exit corridors, light was visible from the parking lot lights. Bonnie picked up her pace and made her way to the intersection.

_Your choice of lovers, never very bright_

_Your father worried, but even he gave up the fight_

_You always think their hearts are made of gold_

_And you're the savior, to coax the warmth out of the cold_

As Bonnie reached the intersection, there was a hiss of a pneumatic cartridge being fired, and a cable came out of the darkness in front of her and wrapped around her neck. Bonnie's startled cry was cut off as the cable tightened and she felt herself being dragged into the shadows.

Bonnie striggled to keep her balance, but there was jerk and she fell to her knees. The music kept playing and spots danced before her eyes. As she struggled, her mind locked onto the sound of the psycho girl's voice singing along with the music coming from the PA.

_"You've got a burning desire to be The Victim_

_You're bleeding from the soul_

_You're hurting from the heart_

_Things you can't be told are gonna tear you apart_

_Cause you're The Victim"_

Inspiration suddenly hit Bonnie and she stopped stuggling, after wedging two fingers between the cable and her neck, so she didn't strangle as she was dragged into the darkness. She went limp otherwise, letting her captor bring her closer and closer. The song on the PA ended, and the psycho girl stopped dragging Bonnie across the floor. With what little light there was, Bonnie could see the girl's shoes walking closer to her.

Bonnie forced herself to remain still as the girl reached down and grabbed her by the hair, raisng her head up. Bonnie grit her teeth but kept her lips closed as she feigned unconsciousness.

"Damn, Bonnie," the girl said, "I was hoping you wouldn't have been THIS easy. It was hardly worth going to all the trouble. Oh well."

Bonnie felt the grip on her hair slacken a little. She quickly slapped her hands on the floor and spun on her rear to swing her legs into the back of the girl's own. One foot went high, connecting behind the girl's knee.

The girl cried out in pain and fell to the floor. Bonnie quickly got to her feet, pulling the cable off her neck, and began running down the corridor. Behind her, the girl let out an inhuman scream which echoed down the corridor. Bonnie quickend her pace. She could see the open exit now, just a few hundred yards away.

"Ten seconds, Bon-Bon! Nine...Eight..."

The acoustics of the corridor made it almost impossible to tell where the voice was coming from. Bonnie found she didn't really care.

"Seven...Six...Five..."

Bonnie pounded her feet frantically against the floor, trying to get away fromt he voice and too the door that led to her freedom. As she got closer, her foot hit something, causing it to slide and connect with her other foot. She hit the floor hard and began sliding across it, crying out as the friction burned her cheek.

"Three...two..."

Bonnie felt a hand grab her hair again and pull her up. An arm was twisted up behind her back and she heard the psycho girl's voice whispered into her ear.

"Come to mommy..."

---

Tri-City Hospital had the blessing of being one of the most under-used hospitals in the state. Wait times in the emergency room rarely took longer than two hours. But like all emergency rooms, more serious cases naturally got priority.

Faye Morgan, wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses, strode through the automatic doors leading to the ER. She was carrying a rather large bundle over her shoulder. Dark red stains spattered the cloth, and the occasional moan was heard as Faye made her way to the triage nurse's desk.

The nurse was there, but Faye rang the bell anyway. The nurse looked up, frowning in the expression that all triage nurses have. The frown turned perplexed as she saw the bundle and then heard the moaning.

"What is all this about?" she asked, slowly, not liking the twisted grin on the redheaded woman's face. The grin got wider.

"Well, you know, it's up to you, of course. You know more about medicine than I do, but if it were me, I'd say that this..."

Faye dropped the bundle onto the hard tile floor. A shriek of pain emerged from it. Faye smirked and looked back at the horrified triage nurse.

"I'd say it's the front of the line." Faye finished. She waved her fingers, grinned again, then turned on her heel and walked back the way she came. As she made her way down the hall, she grinned again as the horrified scream of the nurse echoed behind her.

Faye raised the Kimmunicator to eye level and nodded at the display. Just a couple of hours left of her time and then Kimmie was going to come in. And of course, the cops would never dream of questioning Kim Possible. Still, better hedge the bet.

---

Kim woke up at the wheel of her car. The sun was beginning to rise, and Kim looked around, her eyes widening in horror as she realized she was in the parking lot of the hospital.

_Mom..._ she thought, opening the door and running across the parking lot to the emergency room entrance. As she reached the doors, they opened and she ran right into Senor Senior, Sr.

"Senor Senior?" Kim said, confused.

"Kim Possible?" Senior replied, just as confused.

"What--? Where--?" Kim said.

"I assume you are here because of Miss Rockwaller?" Senior asked. Kim blinked.

"Bonnie? No, I was...meeting my mother at her office." Kim said, quickly coming up with a plausible reason for her to be there. "What's happened to Bonnie?"

Senior frowned. Kim saw his grip tighten on his cane. "Someone has injured Miss Rockwaller. Severely."

_Faye..._ Kim thought. "How--how severely?" she asked. The elderly villain's eyes narrowed.

"VERY. The doctors say she will recover in time. But it will be quite some time. She is lucky she will still to be able to see and hear. Her family are understandably disraught, and Junior--"

Senior's knuckles cracked as his grip tightened even further on the cane. "It is good that I have run into you. I wish to retain your services."

"My services?" Kim repeated. "I don't understand."

"I am not fond of Miss Rockwaller's personality, it is true. But Junior is enamored with her, and I suspect he may actually love her. I have informed Mr. and Mrs. Rockwaller that I will gladly pay for the medical bills associated with her recovery. I also want you to find whoever is responsible for what happened to her." Senior said quietly.

"Well, I can certainly do that." Kim said. Senior held up a hand.

"I am afraid I am not finished. I want you to find this person, and when you do, you will NOT turn them over to the police. You will not give them to Global Justice. You will instead bring them directly to ME."

Kim gulped as she saw the rage in Senior's eyes. She had seen the villain frustrated, annoyed, and irritated. This was the first time she had ever seen Senor Senior, Sr. angry. And it struck her that you didn't become one of the five richest people on the planet without having to know when to be absolutely ruthless.

"I...don't know if I can do that." Kim said. Senior nodded.

"You will not find me ungrateful if you do. But, ask yourself this. If something similar had happened to Ron Stoppable, would you be willing to be so merciful to the responsible party? Good day, Kim Possible."

Senior made his way past Kim, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket and dialing a number. Kim stood in front of the hospital for a few moments, unsure of what to do.

"Kimberly!" came a familiar voice. Kim turned to see Dr. Director jogging towards her.

"Dr. Director? What are you doing here?" Kima sked.

"We came as soon as we heard what happened to Bonnie. We figured you might want some help finding the person who did it." Director answered.

"You're keeping tabs on Bonnie?"

"We keep an eye on everyone connected to you, Kimberly. We don't want anything happening to you."

"That's...kind of creepy, actually." Kim said, quirking an eyebrow. "But I just heard about Bonnie. I'm here to meet my mom."

Director gave Kim a small smile. "No, you aren't. Your mom isn't on call today, Kimberly."

Kim's eyes widened. "How did you--?"

"Don't feel bad about lying, Kimberly." Director said. Before Kim could react, the Global Justice leader produced a syringe, jabbed it into Kim's neck, thumbed the plunger, and pulled the needle back out. "I was lying too."

Kim stepped back from Director, clasping a hand to her neck. "What did you do?!"

Director's expression was mournful. "I'm sorry, Kimberly. It's out of my hands. There's...people who want to meet Faye. I'm so sorry..."

Kim's vision swam and began to darken at the edges. "You...mistake..." she murmured. A pair of GJ agents appeared and gently picked Kim up as the teen hero fell unconscious. Dr. Director rubbed the bridge of her nose, wiping away the tear that had formed at her good eye.

"Put her in the van. Gently." she ordered. "I'll contact ICAD One and tell him where to meet us."

The agents nodded and carried Kim away. After a few moments, Dr. Director followed. Anyone watching would have noticed she studiously avoided looking at her reflection in the panels of glass in the hospital entrance.

Senor Senior, Sr. most definitely counted as "anyone."

---

Lyrics for "The Victim" written by Neil Gerardo and Billy Steinberg. ©2008 Chrysalis Music


	8. Chapter 8

"Wade," Anne said, clicking the "Send" button on her email program, "check this analysis and see if you can confirm my findings."

"Got it," Wade said, still on the big screen TV monitor in the Possible living room. "Checking now."

The living room looked like a tornado had hit a research lab. Charts and readouts were scattered across every unoccupied surface. Anne was working with her laptop balanced on her knees, while Jim and Tim had their own computer set up in one corner of the room, analyzing chemical compounds. James emerged from the kitchen, talking on his cell phone.

"Nothing at all? I see...all right...no, no that's fine. Thanks for all your help, Jerry. Give my love to Susan and the kids. Bye." he clicked off and rubbed his eyes. The family had been up most of the night trying to figure out how to cure Kim of Faye.

"Any luck?" Anne asked, as James sat down on the couch next to her.

"Well, Jerry said that they couldn't find any sort of antidote without a blood sample at the very least, and even then, it could take years to find out exactly what the composition is of the formula, much less finding a cure." James answered.

"You didn't tell him?" Anne said, raising her eyebrows.

"No, of course not. We kept it hypothetical." James replied, " How about you? Any luck there?"

Anne sighed and looked at the TV. "Wade?"

"I wish I could say you were wrong, Dr. Possible, but..." Wade sighed himself. "You were right. The Jekyll formula bonds and rewrites the subject's DNA, effecting a physical change."

"Wait," James said, "_A_ physical change? Singular?"

"Right," Wade said, "Dr. Jekyll needed a dose of the formula to change into Mr. Hyde, and another dose to change back into Dr. Jekyll again. But DNAmy refined, concentrated, and modified the formula."

"So now," Ann continued, "Kim changes into Faye any time she's knocked out or goes to sleep. I'm still not sure how it is that the scheduled changes are happening, or how Faye knows when one of her times is supposed to occur. But even then, that doesn't click with what we know about Dr. Jekyll's case."

"How so?" James asked.

"Well, if the novel is anywhere near accurate, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde both had a shared memory. They each knew everything the other one did while they were active. Kim and Faye don't."

"How does that work, exactly?"

"I hate to sound like I'm enjoying this, but it's fascinating. Every time Kim changes, sections of her hippocampus are closed off and other parts open. The process reverses itself when Faye turns back into Kim. It might be a side effect of DNAmy's modifications, but without a more detailed analysis, there's no way of knowing."

"But wouldn't that mean that Kim's brain chemistry is changing as well?" James asked.

Anne nodded. "The problem is that brain chemistry CAN'T change that fast, and it isn't meant to. They only way that could happen is if there was substanial DNA modification."

"Whcih there is," Wade continued from the TV. "And that leads us to the main problem. The constant changes are shredding Kim's DNA. And her body is trying to force her to stabilize.

"Except her body doesn't care WHO she stabilizes as. I've been doing some time comparisions and the time Kim spends as Faye is starting to get longer during the unscheduled changes. If something isn't done to stop the changes soon, we figure one of two things will happen. Either she'll stabilize on her own, but odds are that she will be Faye when she does. Or..." Wade trailed off. James frowned.

"Or what? What will happen if she doesn't stabilize?"

Wade swallowed visibly. "If she doesn't stabilize, Kim's DNA will wear out and she will most likely be dead before she reaches twenty."

"Twenty?"

"That's an optimistic estimate." Anne said quietly. "For all we know, she could drop dead next week."

"Well then," James said after a moment. "Let's get back to work. A solution isn't going to present itself. Remember, anything is possible for--"

"Please," Anne interrupted. "Not now, James."

Fortunately, the tension was broken by Ron barrelling through the front door. "Where's Kim?"

"We're working on that." Wade said. "Still trying to trace the Kimmunicator, but I have located the Sloth."

"Where is it?" Ron asked.

Wade frowned. "Parked outside the Tri-City Hospital."

"Really?" Anne said. "Hand me the phone, would you, dear? Thank you." Anne dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up. "Manny? It's Anne. I'm fine, thanks. How are you?...that's good. Listen, Manny, I need a favor. We haven't heard from Kim all night...no no, nothing like that. We found out her car is out there in the parking lot, could you call down to admitting and see if anybody's seen her? Thanks, Manny."

There was a few moments of silence, then:

"Manny? Yes, I'm still here. No? Well, that's at least a small relief. Thanks--WHAT?! Is she all right?...Oh, dear Lord. Do me another favor, would you? Let her parents know that I'm more than willing to help in any way I can. Thank you, Manny. Yes. Yes, I'll call them later. Thank you. Bye."

Anne hung up the phone and looked at the room, her face pale. "Bonnie Rockwaller's in the ICU."

Jame's frowned. "What happened?"

"She has multiple broken bones, lacerations, brusing. It's not pretty. She's going to be in physical therapy for a while." Anne said, trying to keep her composure. "That's not the worst though."

"What is?"

"Admitting says that she was brought in by a girl with dark red hair and an 'inappropriate attitude.'"

"Faye?" Ron asked.

"Sounds like it." Wade responded. "A scheduled change was due yesterday afternoon. Could be Bonnie was in the wrong place at the--what the?"

"What is it?"

"We're getting a hit on the site...from Senor Senior, Sr."

Ron and the Possibles exchanged glances. "Put him through, Wade." Ron said.

Wade's image disappeared form the big screen TV, replaced by the image of the billionaire supervillain.

"Ah, Ron Stoppable," he said. "And you must be the Doctors Possible. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, although I wish it could be under happier circumstances."

"'Happier circumstances?'" Ron asked. "What do you mean?"

Senior's expression darkened. "I assume, Mrs. Possible, since you work at the Tri-City Hospital, that you have heard what has happened to Bonnie Rockwaller?"

Anne nodded. "We just found out. It's...astonishing."

"Indeed," Senior agreed. "However, I am afraid I must impart some rather distressing news. I must report that your daughter has been abducted."

"ABDUCTED?!" Ron screeched. He stormed up to the TV. "What have you done with her, you twisted old--"

"If I may finish?" Senior said sternly, shutting Ron up. "I will overlook the outburst since you are, quite naturally, concerned for Kim Possible's safety. But, I am not the one who has abducted her."

"Please, tell us what's happened to her, Senor." Ann asked.

"I encountered Kim Possible early this morning outside the hospital," Senior began, "We discussed what had happened to Miss Rockwaller. I then left to make a phone call. When I returne dto the entrance of the hospital, I saw Kim Possible, unconscious, being loaded into an unmarked van...by several Global Justice agents under the command of Dr. Director."

"Dr. Director?" Ron asked.

"Are you sure about this?" James asked.

"Quite sure, Dr. Possible." Senior answered. "The van drove off after the back doors closed. I noted the direction that it went. I believe you will find it somewhere in Lowerton."

"Thank you, Senor Senior." Anne said. "We appreciate your help, given your...relationship with our daughter."

"I am happy to be of service. I, too, am a parent, after all. I wish you luck, and should you need my assistance again, Junior and I will be staying at the Upperton Arms for the forseeable future. I wish you luck in your endeavors. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Senior disappeared, returning Wade to the screen. He looked up form his computer.

"I did some checking. There's reports of a traffic accident just outside Lowerton. A white van lost control and crashed into a tree on the side of the road."

"Oh boy," Ron said. "Anyone want to bet that's the van GJ had?"

"Probably." James said, "And I'll bet they made the mistake of trying to drug Kimmie when they captured her."

"Which means Faye joined the party." Ron finsihed. "Dr. P? Can you give me a ride out there? Maybe we can figure out where she went from there, and get some answers."

"Can do." James said, producing his keys. "Honey, you coming?"

"No, you two go ahead." Anne replied. "Wade and I will keep working on trying to find a cure. Plus I want to get ahold of Bonnie's parents, make sure they're holding up all right."

James nodded. "Let's go, Ronald."

--

Global Justice agents do not panic. Like a housecat that suddenly sprouts wings or a good movie directed by Uwe Boll, it does not happen.

Nearly every Global Justice field agent is put through a battery of physical and psychological tests that would make most CIA operatives and Navy SEALS flinch. Modeled on the principles set down by legendary Office of Secret Intelligence Training Director Col. Hunter Gathers, the training process is designed to weed out the incompetent, the unsuitable, and even then the tests still make the potential agent better than he was before. Any agent trained under the Gathers Protocols is ingrained with the ability to cope with mind-blowing weirdness of every conceivable stripe. Global Justice field agents do not panic.

Global Justice Field Agent Second Class Lewis Clumsky was panicking.

He had woken up a few minutes prior, finding himself strapped down into an hard, uncomfortable chair, clad only in his boxers. The room was ill lit, the only source of light coming form a desk lamp standing on an overturned desk. There was another broken lamp in the room, plugged into the wall and sparking...

...just inches from the large pool of water that Clumsky was sitting in.

Clumsky himself had tried to escape his bonds, but whoever had trussed him up had done a good job of it. Four straps encircled each of his limbs, one across his forehead, one across the chin, two on his neck, three across his chest and stomach, even one across each of his hands and feet.

But what was really causing him to panic was the red headed woman sitting on the overturned desk next to the working lamp. Clumsky knew they were pulling a black bag job on Kim Possible, and he even knew that she was undergoing some severe personality changes. Dr. Director trusted the operatives she had taken on the mission to keep their mouths shut.

But something had gone wrong. Dr. Director had knocked Possible out and they had loaded her into the back of the van. Clumsky himself was securing her to the gurney int he back when she began to twitch. He had opened one of her eyes to check on her. He was surprised to find the eye had turned purple. There was a sharp crack and Clumsky had sunk into darkness.

Only to awaken where he was: bound, in an unknown location, a sparking lamp just inches from electrocuting him, and his redheaded captor being backlit by the only light source in such a way that he couldn't make out her face. But the aura of menace was unmistakable. The woman wouldn't give a second's thought to killing him, most likely in the most painful way possible.

Regardless of whether he talked or not.

"I want answers." the woman said simply. "You are going to give them to me."

"I--" Clumsky swallowed. "I'm not obligated to tell you anything beyjnd my name, rank, and serial number."

The woman tilted her head. "You are laboring under the impression that the Geneva Convention actually applies here. You are also assuming that even if it DID apply, that I would even give a damn.

"So," the woman said. "What would Betty be hoping to accomplish with her dirty little trick, hmmm?"

"I'm sorry," Clumsky answered, "I can't tell you anything , Miss Possible. No matter what you threaten to do to me."

The woman tilted her head. "Kimmie? You think I'm Kimmie?" She let out a shrill laugh. "Oh, that's rich."

She hopped off the desk and moved closer to Clumsky. The change in lighting made her features eaiser to see.

Particularly the glittering purple eyes.

"No, I'm not Kimmie," Faye Morgan said, reaching down and picking up the sparking lamp. "And one of the differences between me and her, friend, is..."

She lowered the lamp closer the the puddle of water at Clumsky's feet. Sweayt began beading on the agent's forehead above his terrified eyes.

"...I don't make threats." Faye finished, letting the lamp fall from her fingers.

---

James and Ron stared at the wreckage of the Global Justice van. It looked like the van had been forced across the opposing lane of traffic, hit a rock, overturned and then smashed headlong into a tree. The windows were blown out and one of the back doors was completely torn off.

Police and EMTs were already on the scene. Ron jumped out of the car as he saw a paremedic team loading Dr. Director into the back of an ambulance.

"Dr. Director!" he called, pushing his way past the uniforms blocking his path. Director put a hand up, stopping the EMTs. Ron dashed to her side.

"Where's Kim?" he demanded.

"Not sure." Director answered faintly, "Ordered to bring her in. Doped her up. Then...we crashed."

"Faye," Ron muttered. He looked bay at the GJ leader. "Where did she go?"

"Kicked the door off the back, grabbed Clumsky...I think she stole somebody's truck. Ronald...I'm sorry..." Directors' voice faded out as the sedative the EMTs had given her took hold. Ron stepped back allowing the EMTs to finish loading her into the ambulance.

"Find out anything?" James asked, coming up to Ron.

"Dr. Director admits they were trying to kidnap her." Ron said, a frown on his face. "But Faye took over and caused the wreck."

"So she's out there somewhere..." James replied. "Well, I hate to say it, but I'd rather have Faye out there, than Kimmie locked up in some cell somewhere else."

"Yeah," Ron said. "But she also said that Faye made off with one of her GJ agents. And given what happened to Bonnie...excuse me for a second, Dr. P."

Ron crossed the accident scene to where a couple of highway patrol officers were talking to the driver of the truck that Faye had stolen. He didn't speak directly to the troopers or the driver, but got close enough to hear their conversation.

"...red headed girl came out the back of that van, hauling some guy over her shoulder. Damnedest thing I've ever seen," the driver was saying, "Guy must've been twice her size. Anyway, she leaped in front of me, then when I stopped, she threw him in the back, dragged me out the window and started heading off that direction with it."

Ron looked down the road, frowning. The road led into a dismal industrial section of Lowerton. Nothing much but warehouses and derelict buildings.

_Just the kind of place she would try to torture somebody._ Ron thought. He headed back towards James.

"Hey, Dr. P, can you drop me off at the--" he was interrupted by his cell phone going off. "One sec. Hello?"

"Ron!" came Wade's voice over the speaker. "I finally tracked down the Kimmunicator's signal. She's--"

"In the warehouse district in Lowerton?" Ron finished.

"Yeah," Wade said, the pout evident in his voice. "How did you know?"

"Just a little good ol' fashioned detective work, Wade, my man."

"All right, master sleuth, before you go running off, Kim's mom needs you and Dr. Possible back here. We think we may have found a solution."

"A cure?" Ron said. "You guys think you've found a cure?"

"No. Not a cure. A solution. We're still ironing out the bugs, but for it to work, we need to find Kim or Faye."

"I'll get Dr. P to drop me off to grab the Sloth and we'll be right over. Catch you in a few." Ron clicke doff the phone and turned to James.

"They have a solution?" James asked. Ron nodded.

"But there's some planning involved. Can you drop me off so I can get Kim's car? Wade's got a lock on her and as soon as we have the plan worked out, I can go get her...them...whatever."

"No problemo."

--

Clumsky's eyes opened as he realized he wasn't being elctrocuted. His vision focused and he relaxed slightly as he saw Kim Possible kneeling in front of him, the lamp hanging from her fingers inches above the puddle of water.

"You're welcome." Kim said, her expression neutral. The tone of her voice made Clumsky think relaxing wasn't exactly a good plan.

"Um," he began. Kim held up her other hand.

"Don't get too comfortable. I want answers. I'm assuming that SHE brought you here to get them."

"Like I said, I'm not authorized to--" Clumsky's breath was knocked out of him as Kim kicked the back legs of the chair, causing the GJ agent to slam flat on his back. Kim stood over him, leaning forward on one knee.

"Wrong answer." she said quietly, her expression still neutral. "I'll put it in single syllables. What. Does. G. J. Want. With. Me?"

Clumsky wasn't sure which set of eyes were worse; the purple manic ones which looked at him as if wondering how long it would take to peel off his skin, or these cold dead green ones where he was nothing more than a source of information.

His mouth started moving with no input from his brain.

"It isn't you they want. It's her."

"G.J. wants Faye? For what?" Kim asked, frowning.

"Not G.J. ICAD." Clumsky's eyes widened and he slammed his mouth shut.

"ICAD? Who's ICAD?"

Clumsky shook his head, refusing to open his mouth. Kim's lip curled up in a snarl and he hauled the trussed up agent upright.

"Let me make this clear. Right now, the only thing between you and her is me. All I have to do is let down my guard and SHE comes out to play. And given everything that's happened recently, I'm not so sure I feel like enforcing the rules with her. So, who is ICAD?"

Clumsky swallowed again and his voice came out as a croak. "I'd tell you if I could, but beleive me, Miss Possible. Nothing that the other one could do to me compares to what THEY'LL do to me if I tell you anything else."

Kim frowned and she looked as if she was ready to poind the agent senseless when to her surprise, the phone on the wall rang. She looked over at it in surprise. She let go of Clumsky and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Kim? It's Wade!"

"Wade, thank God." Kim said, relief flooding her voice. "Look, something seriously whacked is happening here. I've got GJ trying to kidnap me, and there's something more. I need you to dig up anything you can on an organization called ICAD. They're connected to GJ somehow. Also, get ahold of Ron and my parents and tell them where I am--"

"Kim, hang on a second. There's something you need to know..."

"Tell me in a minute, Wade, just get ahold of--"

"Faye's awake, Kim!"

Kim's eyes widened as she comprehended what Wade was telling her. "What?"

"Faye's awake, Kim. In your head. She's awake and watching."

"Wade, that's impossible. When I'm awake, she's asleep. We KNOW that's how this works." Kim replied. Across the room, Clumsky stared at Kim, puzzlement and terror warring for control of his expression.

"Not this time, Kim." Wade answered. "Faye's awake, Kim, I'm positive."

"How?"

"Look at the phone cord."

Kim frowned and looked down at the phone cord...

...which was cut completely off and was dangling from the reciever. Kim's eyes widened again as Wade's voice kept issuing from the phone.

"How can I be talking to you if the phone isn't connected, Kim? And while we're at it, why would I use a phone when the Kimmunicator is strapped to your wrist and working just fine?"

"You wouldn't..." Kim whispered.

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"I said you wouldn't!" Kim yelled into the phone, startling Clumsky. Kim hurled the phone across the room, where is bounced off the wall and hit the floor. Kim collaped onto the floor, holding her head in her hands.

_Damn straight he wouldn't._

Kim's head snapped up as Faye's voice floated through her head. "Faye?"

_Well, gee, Kimmie, who ELSE has a time share in your brain? By the way, I suggest putting GJ-boy over there out like a light, that is unless you want a report getting back to whoever's pulling the strings that you've lost your damn mind._

Kim looked over at Clumsky, who tried to look nonchalant up until the point that Kim hit a pressure point on his shoulder and knocked him out. She stood back up.

"How are you still awake?"

_Dunno. Probably has something to do with the crap Betty knocked you out with. I can still feel it in our blood. Has a nice zingy sensation._

"You can feel what's in our blood?"

_What, you mean you can't? Next you'll be telling me you can't smell the fear in Ron's sweat when he's left alone with you. _

"You mean when he's with you."

_If that's what you want to tell yourself, then sure._

Kim ingored the jibe and activated the Kimmunicator. Wade appeared on the screen, wide eyed. "Kim! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Wade. Listen, GJ is--"

"Sending agents after you. We know. I'm pretty sure they want Faye."

"What for?"

_Gee, I'm a superpowered sociopath that has no aversions to causing pain, suffering, agony and chaos. What do you THINK they want me for?_

"Shut UP!" Kim snarled. Wade blinked.

"What?" he asked, confused.

Kim sighed. "Not you, Wade. I don't know what happened, might have something to do with the drugs Dr. Director hit me with, but Faye's awake."

"Awake?" Wade said. "Right now?"

"Right now and making sarcastic comments in my head. Let Ron know will you?"

Wade nodded. "He's on his way to your location now. There's a GJ agent missing from the crash that Faye caused."

"He's here." Kim said. "Faye tried to get him to talk, but I managed to stop her form doing anything stupid."

_He would have talked. Trust me._

"Get anything from him?" Wade asked.

"Look up something called ICAD. Looks like it's some kind of organization that can boss GJ around. It's probably an acronym, but I'm not sure."

_Give me six minutes and a red hot potato peeler with GJ-boy over there and I'll get you all the information you want..._

"I told YOU to SHUT UP!" Kim yelled, her voice echoing around the warehouse.

"Kim, are you sure you're okay?" Wade asked, after an awkward silence.

"I'm fine." Kim said. "Let Ron and my parents know what's going on, all right? I'll be waiting here."

"Ron's on his way. I'll give him the update."

"Thanks, Wade." Kim clicked off the Kimmunicator and sat down heavily on the floor.

_You're up to something. _

"So are you." Kim answered, not raising her head. "Now, shut up."

--

"Faye's AWAKE?!" Ron yelped. He pulled the Sloth over to the side of the road so he could give his full attention to the conversation between himself, Wade, and Kim's parents.

"She thinks it has something to do with the drugs Global Justice used to capture her." Wade said. "I'm pretty sure Faye will go back to sleep when the drugs wear off."

"What about our plan?" Anne said, on the other half of the split screen.

"Looks like it's on hold for now." Wade answered. "At least until Faye goes back to sleep. As long as they're both awake, Faye can use Kim for information. What Kim knows, they both know."

Anne nodded grimly. "Ron, keep that syringe on you. Once it seems clear that Faye isn't awake anymore, tell Kim what's happening. But if you have to, ambush one of them."

"Not really crazy about that idea, Dr. P." Ron said.

"Use it as a last resort then." James said sternly. "The clock is ticking, Ronald, don't forget that."

Ron sighed. "Right. Sorry, Dr. P."

"She's in a warehouse about three miles form your current position, Ron," Wade said. "She's waiting for you--what the?"

"What's up, Wade?" Ron asked.

"Drakken." Wade answered. "He's in Paris with an army of...robotic chiropractors?"

"Chiropractors?" Anne and James echoed.

Ron groaned. "Any chance we can let him wait for a while, Wade?"

"Not really. They're already running rampant. The French government is calling Kim on this one. What do we do?"

Ron frowned. "We go with the plan as before. We'll have to take the mission, otherwise Faye's going to get suspicious and that's really going to mess things up."

"And what happens if Faye takes over during the mission?" Wade asked.

"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it." Ron answered. "Any objections?"

Kim's parents looked at each other, then back at the screen. "Do what you have to, Ron." Anne said. Wade simply nodded.

"I'll let them know you're coming." he said, "Kim's spare mission clothes are in the trunk."

"Thanks, Wade." Ron said. He put the car in "Drive" and headed for the warehouse.

--

Dr. Director sank gratefully into her office chair. Getting out of the Tri-City Hospital was a pain in the ass, but better than asking a lot of inconvenient questions when Kimberly's mother showed up.

The abduction had been a mistake. She should have approached Kim directly, and told her exactly what was going on. They might have been able to buy some time or work out a way to deal with ICAD.

But, she had blown it. Let fear get the best of her and now she had sixteen stiches in her scalp, and her left arm in a cast. And Kim Possible would likely never trust her again.

Director winced as a bolt of pain shot through her arm, and she pulled out a prescription bottle, shook out a few pills and swallowed them. She reached into the bottom drawer of her desk, producing a bottle of scotch, and took a swig to wash the pills down. She leaned back in her chair and sighed heavily.

At that moment, the phone rang. Director groaned and hit the speakerphone button. "Director."

"What went wrong, Betty?" came the voice of ICAD One.

"I listened to you, that's what went wrong." Director answered.

"Cute." One responded. "I thougth you could handle a simple black bag, Betty. I'm severely disappointed."

"Well, that puts you down here with the rest of us."

"You're insolence is only making what I have to do easier."

Dr. Director frowned and sat up. "What do you mean?"

"You failed, Betty. And I still want Possible. Since you seem incapable to bring her to me, I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands."

"Over my dead body."

"...You might want to consider choosing your words more carefully."

There was a knock on the office door. Dr. Director looked up.

"What?" she demanded. The door opened admitting three GJ guards and agent Will Du.

"What is it, Agent Du?" Dr. Director asked. Du's face was expressionless.

"Dr. Director, under orders from ICAD One, I am relieving you of command of Global Justice, effective immediately. I am also afraid that we will have to take you into protective custody."

"You what?" Director said, getting to her feet. "Protection from who?"

"Well, Kim Possible, for one." ICAD One answered. "I doubt she'll be happy when she wakes up."

"If you think Kimberly is going to be stupid enough to come after me for revenge, letting you get your claws on her--"

"Frankly, Doctor, I'm no longer interested in your opinion. Gentlemen, take Dr. Director to the isolation cells. Agent Du, I'm appointing you interim head of Global Justice."

"Thank you, sir." Du said as the other agents, not unkindly, took Dr. Director into custody.

As she passed Du, Director looked up. "You have no idea what you're in for."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Director," Du replied. "But it's out of my hands."

"I hope it's worth it. Because if I ever get back," Director fixed Du with a steely glare. "You are finished, Agent Du." She didn't wait for a response but looked at the guards. "Get me out of here."

The room was silent as Dr. Director was escorted out. When the door closed, ICAD One spoke again.

"All right, now that that's taken care of. Agent Du?"

"Sir?"

"If revenge won't motivate Possible to come to us, we'll have to raise the stakes. Extend an invitation for the Possible family to visit us."

"An invitation, sir?" Du said.

"Don't insult your intelligence, Du." ICAD One said coldly. "Black bag the Possibles. And while we're at it, black bag the Stoppables, and Wade Load. I want them here. NOW."

"Yes, sir." Du said, emotionlessly. There was a click as ICAD One hung up. As soon as he heard the click, Du sighed. He didn't like it, but orders were orders. And he had no intention of ending up in the isolation cells with Dr. Director. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Prepare a strike team. We have three black bags to run."


	9. Chapter 9

Ron found her in an out of the way corner of Paris, sitting on a stone railing over looking the Seine. Ron approached her cautiously, not certain who he was going to meet when he got there.

As he got closer, he relaxed a little. The figure sitting on the railing was slouched over, resting her arms on her knees. She looked tired and weary. Faye never looked tired, no matter how long she had been awake. Ron's stride became more confident, but as he got closer, the figure stirred and turned sharply. Ron yelped and slid back into a combat stance, just in case he'd been suckered.

There was a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Ron." Kim said. Ron let out the breath he'd been holding and climbed up onto the railing next to Kim.

"Hey, KP. How you holding up?"

Kim gave him a rueful smile. "I'm tired. Extremely tired. Honestly, if I felt like I could get away with it, I'd go home and sleep for a week."

"I bet." Ron replied. He felt the sedative-filled syringe in his pocket that Kim's mom had given to him. He really didn't want to use it, but he had no way of finding out if Faye was still awake or not.

"Are Drakken and Shego taken care of?" Kim asked suddenly. Ron blinked.

"You don't know?" he asked.

Kim frowned as she realized that she had no memory of anythig that happened after Shego hauled her out of the dumpster in the alley. "No. No, I don't. Hang on a second."

Kim closed her eyes and mentally probed around her mind. Nothing. If she concentrated she could still feel Faye's presence, but it was dormant and quiet. No snide comments, no running commentary. She opened her eyes.

"She's asleep. Finally." Kim signed again and collapsed against Ron, who automatically put his arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him. "So, Drakken and Shego?"

Ron rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Um, yeah. Well, I kinda somehow reprogrammed all of Drakken's chiropractor bots and last I saw he was piloting that hovercar of his away from them as fast as he could."

Kim smirked as she pictured the mad scientist trying to escape from a horde of crazed robots with eyes on forcibly realigning his spine. "And Shego?"

"Yeah...Shego..." Ron swallowed and told Kim what Faye had done to the villainess. He outlined every detail, knowing Kim wouldn't want him to sugar coat it. When he was done, Kim pulled away from him and looked down into the dark flowing water of the river.

"First Bonnie...now Shego," she whispered. She looked up at Ron. "And then who? Monique? Wade? The Tweebs? You?"

"She's been following the rules," Ron began.

"But she's getting stronger! And she knows it. Why do you think she ditched the Kimmunicator when we switched? She's testing her limits. Seeing what I'll do."

Kim stood up on the railing, looking down into the rushing waters of the river. "I can't let her loose, Ron. She's getting more and more dangerous, and if I lose, there's nothing that can stop her."

Ron stood up and took Kim's arm. "Actually...there may be."

Kim looked at him. "What?"

"Your mom and Wade think they've figured out a solution. They wanted me to get you as soon as we were sure Faye was asleep."

"You...you're serious?" Kim asked. "They really think they've found a way?"

Ron smiled. "They sounded pretty sure to me, KP."

His smiled broaded as the despair left Kim's face, replaced by hope and her usual optimism. "Okay, then. Let's get Wade and get a ride home!"

Ron handed her the Kimmunicator, Kim strapped it on and hit the button to contact Wade.

All they got was static.

"Wade?" Kim asked, her frown returning. "Wade, are you there?"

"Is there a signal here?" Ron asked.

"Ron, we got a signal from Wade six miles below the surface of the Earth, we should be getting one in the heart of Paris." Kim pressed a few more buttons, but the static didn't leave the screen. "Try your phone."

Ron pulled out his cell and dialed Wade's house. "It's ringing, but nobody's picking up."

"Try your folks. Maybe they've heard something. I'll try to get ahold of mine."

Kim pressed a few more buttons, trying to get the Possible home, but all she got was more static. Meanwhile, Ron called home.

"Hello?" came the voice of Ron's mother.

"Mom?"

"Oh, hey, sweetie. Everything going all right?"

"Yeah," Ron said. "We took care of it."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah. Listen, Mom, have you heard from Wade or Kim's parents? We're having a problem getting through on the Kimmunicator."

"No," Mrs. Stoppable said. "Nothing over here. One second, I'll get your father to give the Possibles a call. Dear? Oh, one sec, Ronnie, he's answering the door..."

Suddenly, there was a sound of smashing wood and breaking objects. Ron's eyes widened and he motioned for Kim to come over. He activated the speaker phone and the two of them listened as Ron's mother screamed, her father yelled, and Hana began crying.

"Ronnie!" came the voice of Mrs. Stoppable. "Strange men are here! They've knocked out your father! I've got to get Hana!"

"Keep calm, Mrs. Stoppable!" Kim said. "Get Hana and get out. Try to get to my parents, they'll call the police. Keep on the phone as long as you can."

"I've got her now. They're in the living room. Oh, God, what do I do?"

"Where are you now?" Kim asked.

"I went up the back stairs. I'm in Hana's room right now."

"Mom, get up to my room and go out the window. The fire ladder's rolled up next to it. You can use that to get out." Ron said.

There was no response except for muffled whimpering coming from Hana, follow closely by a series of thumps, presumably Mrs. Stoppable making her way to Ron's attic room. Han's wails started up again, and they heard the window being opened.

"Mom?" Ron asked. "You okay?"

"Yes," Mrs. Stoppable's voice was distant. She had probably put the phone down to have both hands free. "I've got the window open, I'm pushing out the ladd--"

There was a violent crash and a loud voice started yelling. "ON THE FLOOR! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!"

"DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER!"

"I SAID ON THE FLOOR!"

"RON! KIM! HELP US! THEY'RE FROM GLOBAL JUS--!"

The phone clicked and went dead. Ron and Kim looked at each other, incredulous at first and then anger began crossing their faces.

"GJ has gone too far." Ron said quietly.

"Totally." Kim replied. "We need to get a ride, fast."

They made their way back to the main road, looking for a cab.

"Do you have any cash on you?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, I've got about 50 Euros. Wade thought it would be a good idea in case tracking you or Faye down took longer than expected."

"Should be enough to get us to the airport then." Kim said. She stuck out a hand "Taxi!"

No sooner had a cab pulled up than a large van roared from a nearby alley. Ron saw it coming.

"Kim, VAN!"

The two of them dove in opposite directions. The van clipped the taxi, causing the driver of the cab to roar off. The back doors of the van burst open, disgorging a squad of GJ agents. Ron and Kim got to their feet as the agents pulled large caliber weaponry and pointed it at the two teen heroes.

"On your knees!" barked the squad leader. "You are under arrest! Put your hands on your heads and make no sudden moves!"

Kim's lip curled up in a sneer. "Well, time to see if this is as fun as Faye and Shego seem to think it is. Ron?"

"Yeah, KP?"

"Manuever 33!"

Kim leaped into the air, somersaulted and planted both feet into the chest of the squad leader. At the same time, Ron handsprung into three other members of the squad catching two with his feet and another with a fist. The remaing member sof the squad began opening fire. Kim and Ron dodged out of the way, rolling under the van.

"Hold your fire, you idiots!" the squad leader ordered. "ICAD One wants them alive!"

"ICAD One?" Ron asked. "Who's that?"

"No idea, but ICAD is who's after Faye." Kim answered. She rolled on her back and pressed a button on the Kimmunicator. A laser beam shot out and Kim began moving it around, severing lines, wires, and pipes. She clicked the beam off. "Ready?"

Ron nodded and the two of them rolled back out from under the van, got to their feet and started running. The GJ agents took a few warning shots, then piled back into the van. The van started up and began following them, ramping up in speed until the driver suddenly lost control, the brakes went out and they plowed into a nearby building.

"KP," Ron began as they dashed into an apartment builduing. "Are they okay?"

"You know something, Ron?" Kim said as they ascended the stairs. "Given that they shot at us, and they've kidnapped your family, I'm not really sure if I care."

--

"Anything, Wade?" James said, pacing the living room. "Anything at all?"

"Sorry, Dr. Possible. Last thing I have is Ron saying Faye was running around loose and ditching the Kimmunicator." Wade answered form the TV screen.

"James, calm down." Anne said, coming up behind her husband. "Ron knows what to do, and if Kim is in control, the first thing she'll do is get ahold of us."

"I know, but still, it's been two hours. We should have heard something."

The sound of a doorbell came from the TV. Wade looked over his shoulder.

"I'll be right back," he said. "Mom's out tonight, so I ordered a pizza." The preteen genius left the screen.

"Pizza." Anne said, smiling slightly. "You know, that doens't sound half bad. If we're going to spend the night worrying about Kim, we might as well be fed."

"Good idea, hon." James said, picking up the phone. "Boys? what do you want on the pizza."

"Pepperoni!" said Jim.

"Anchovies!" said Tim.

"Well, good to know they don't think alike on everything." James muttered to himself. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to place an--"

At that moment, the front window exploded as a squad of Global Justice agents burst through it. James threw his arms over his head while Anne grabbed the twins and forced them to the floor. The GJ agents dashed trhoguh the house, yelling "Clear!" to each other. After a few seconds, the agents who had left the room returned, and joined their fellows who were training their weapons on the Possibles.

James was the first to recover. "Who the hell are you people, and what in the name of God are you doing in my house?"

"Keep your hands on your heads!" barked one of the GJ agents, a burly man with three day stubble and a clear belief that the word "bad-ass" was tattooed across his face.

"I will do no such thing." James replied, folding his arms. "You people expect us to cooperate after you've just broke into our home--"

"I'm warning you, SIR," the agent began, gestruing with his rifle. "I'm only going to count to three...ONE!"

"That's quite enough, Kemmerer," came a new voice. The Possibles turned their attantion to Will Du as he came into the room. "Stand down."

The GJ agents relaxed but still remained alert for trouble. Anne and the twins got to their feet. Anne frowned as she recognized the squad leader.

"Agent Du. I take it you're in charge here?" she demanded. Du nodded.

"I wish it could be undere better circumstances, Dr. Possible. I'm afraid you're all under arrest."

"Arrest?" James asked. "What for?"

"Harboring a dangerous fugitive, for starters. One Faye Morgan."

"Faye Morgan?" Anne said. "We don't know anyone--"

Du held up a hand. "Spare me the obligatory denials, Dr. Possible. We know about Morgan, and where she came from."

"Then why aren't you helping us?" James demanded. "All the times you've asked Kim for help, you should be firs tin line now."

"That isn't my concern." Du replied. "My orders are to bring her...and all of you...in."

Anne folded her arms. "Why don't you spare us the obligatory pretending that we're going to be anything but bait?"

"Fine." Du replied. "Will you come with us, please?"

"No," the Possibles replied in unison.

"As I thought. Kemmerer?"

The burly agent stomped across the room with surprising speed and grabbed Jim and Tim by their necks. Anne yelped and tried to get theboys but was held back by another female GJ agent.

"LET GO OF MY FAMILY!" Jame roared, turning on Du.

"Dr, Possible, as the cliche has it, there's an easy way to do this and a hard way. Personally, I'd much rather do it the easy way. I promise you that neither you nor your family will be harmed if you decide to come with us willingly."

"What about Kim?" James asked.

"yes...unfortunatley, she's a bit of a wild card. Rest assured though that as long as I am in command of this operation, I will make sure that minimum necessary force is used. Will that be satisfactory?"

"You people out of our house would be satisfactory." James said.

"OWWWW!" the twins cried out as Kemmerer tightened his grip.

"KEMMERER!" Du barked. Kemmerer snarled but relaxed.

"And that goon stays the hell away from my children." Anne said, finally breaking free of the GJ agent holding her.

Du nodded and Kemmerer stepped back away from the boys. The two of them glared up at him.

"Did you know the melting point of Kevlar is between 427 to 452 degrees Celsius?" Jim asked.

"That's about 800 to 900 degrees Farenheit." Tim stated.

"We once made an instant marshmallow toaster that can reach temperatures that high in less than three seconds." Jim continued.

"GJ still using Kevlar plating for their pants?" Tim finished.

"Boys, that's enough." Anne said, taking them from Kemmerer. She leaned over and whispered, "Besides, Kevlar takes too long to melt. I'll get some ipecac later."

Du sighed and turned back to James. " Anything else, or do we go to the hard way?"

James nodded. "We'll go, but I really hope you people know what you're getting into."

--

Kim and Ron burst onto the roof of the building. Ron slammed the door shut.

"There's nothing to barricade this with!" he yelled over to Kim.

"Working on it!" Kim called. She was standing next to an old TV antenna. One quick roundhouse kick and she dashed back to the roof access with the antenna. The two of them wedged the antenna under the knob and forced the opposite end against the roof.

"Now what?" Ron asked. Kim shook her head.

"No idea. They've probably found the car, and they're going to be watching the airports."

"Well, we can't just keep running! They've got our families, Kim!"

"I know that, Ron! Can't you please just give me five seconds to think?!"

"We don't have five seconds! There's a horde of big guys with guns coming up the stairs behind us! Guys with guns who have BRAINS!"

"Will you please stop panicking?" Kim snapped.

"I'll stop panicking when you come up with a way for us to get out of this!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Kim yelled at the top of her voice. "I HAVE NO GOD DAMN IDEA WHAT TO DO, RON! OKAY? AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, WE'RE SCREWED! HAPPY NOW?!"

"DON'T YELL AT ME!"

"DON'T _YOU_ YELL AT ME!"

"How about you both stop yelling, and surrender?" came a stern voice. Kim and Ron turned their heads to find a platoon of Global Justice agents lining the nearby rooftops. The roof access door had been forced open while they'd been arguing and another twenty agents had made their way in. The squad commander, a tough woman in her 30s, looked at them amusedly.

"Surrender?" Kim asked quietly.

"It would reall ybe the best way, Miss Possible. We only want to help you with your condition."

"Is that what ICAD One told you to say?" Kim asked. The squad leader's expression changed to a frown.

"Where did you hear that?"

Kim smirked. "One of your goons downstairs let it slip. So what's ICAD One want with Faye? Some half-baked super soldier idea or something?"

"Probably is," Ron said with smirk of his own. "Dude probably wants to take over the world himself or something like that."

"I find it interesting that he's not out here himself," Kim responded. "Let me guess, he never goes anywhere in public."

"Keeps to his office at work." Ron said.

"Probably communicates exclusively by phone or radio." Kim continued.

"Or one of those cheesy backlit silohuette things on any video communication." Ron added.

"Oh yeah, the whole thing screams 'I'm a supervillain wannabe.'" Kim saisd. She looked at the squad leader, who was not looking amused by the teen heroes banter. "So, I guess that would make you the cheif henchman...or does Dr. Director have that slot filled?"

The squad leader breathed in heavily through her nostrils. "I'm giving you one more chance, Possible. Give up quietly or we're going to have to take you in by force."

Kim folded her arms and llet out a short laugh. "Look, you MUST have seen the files. Especially the ones after the Lorwardian invasion. Do you really think Ron and I are going to be intimidated by an army of big guys with guns pointed at us?"

"No, not at all." the squad leader said. "Henderson! Monitor!" A GJ agent came over, pulling a small portable video monitor out of his pack. He turned it on and handed it to the squad leader. She gfiddled with a couple of the switches on top of the unit and turned it towards Kim and Ron.

Kim and Ron's eyes widened as they saw their families and Wade sitting in what looked like a large conference room. They looked anxious and worried. Wade and the Tweebs appeared to be trying to override the security lock on the door, but didn't seem to be having much success. Ron's mother was holding Hana in her arms, rocking her softly, looking somewhat shellshocked.

"Mom, Dad! Are you okay?" Ron yelped running towards th emonitor. Henderson intercepted him and shoved him roughly back, causing Ron's momentum to wokr against him and caus ehim to fall onto the roof. Kim helpe dhim to his feet.

"Save your breath." The squad leader said. "It's one-way video only."

"So it's the 'we have your family, do what we say' bit, huh?" Kim asked.

"Sort of," the squad leader admitted. "Look above the door."

Kim looked above the door, where a vent could clearly be seen. "So what? We don't give up, you'll put poison gas in the room?"

"Give us a little more credit than that. We knew that wouldn't be enough to get you to give up."

"So what will you pump in there then?" Kim asked. "Nanites? SARS? Bubonic plague?"

"I think you'd better talk to Commander Du about that." The squad leader made a few more adjustments, and Will Du's face appeared. "We have Possible and Stoppable here, sir."

"Excellent. Let me speak to her." Will replied. The squad leader turned the monitor back towards Kim.

"This isn't going to work, Du." Kim said coldly. "I've been through this before."

"I know you have, Miss Possible. But, in this case, we're not threatening to kill your families."

"Then what are you doing with them?" Kim asked, "I don't think you arrested them for kicks."

"Of course not. We have no need to threaten you with their deaths." Du's face turned solmen. "Because we've already killed them."

"YOU WHAT?!" Ron dashed towards the monitor again. This time six GJ agents leaped into the fray, restraining Ron, who kept fighting against them with barely contained fury.

"Another outburst like that, Mr. Stoppable, and I will have them put a bullet through your head." Will said quietly. "I take no pleasure in the thought, believe me, but I only need Miss Possible alive, not you."

"You have ten seconds to explain what the hell's going on, Du." Kim growled.

"Your families, alone with Mr. Load, have been breathing in a odorless, tasteless, and otherwise viturally undetectable neurotoxin for the three hours we've had them in custody. In approximately 12 more hours, their entire nervous systems will shut down. It will be slow and very painful as I understand it. In the case of the baby...well, smaller bodies and all."

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Kim snarled.

"Fortunately, given our technology, if you give up now, you can easily be here before the 9 hour mark is reached, which is the point where little Hana is going to start feeling the effects of the toxin. Once you've arrived, I guarantee you that your families will be adminstered the antidote immediately. However, if you are not at GJ Headquarters within those 9 hours, we will start increasing the amount of neurotoxin in the room."

"You tell Dr. Director that this is the most EVIL--"

"Dr. Director is no longer in charge." Will said cutting Kim off. "Now, once agian, the choice is yours. Surrender, or we can have another of your typical prolonged hand to hand conflicts, and all the time the minutes are ticking away on Hana's life."

Kim's fists clenched involuntarily. She looke dover at Ron, who was still being held by the GJ agents. Her expression softened as she saw Ron hanging his head. He looked up at her, despair etched on his face.

"Kim...please...don't let them do that to Hana," he said quietly. Kim nodded and fought to keep the tears in her eyes from flowing. She hardened her expression and turne dbakc to the squad leader and the monitor.

"All right, you win. For now." she said. "We surrender."

"Good. I'm glad to see you take after your parents. Squad Leader Lawrence?"

"Yes, sir?" Lawrence said.

"Do it."

"Sir." she handed the monitro back to Henderson and held up her hand. "Ready..."

The GJ agents raidsed their weapons. Kim's eyebrows shot up.

"WAIT! We surrendered, dammit!"

"FIRE!"

Kim had no time to react as hundreds of tranquilizer darts shot from the GJ weaponry. While most of them missed, plenty more struck he rbody. Within seconds she felt groggy and her vision was fading. As she fell to the rooftop, she heard Ron calling her name, but he was too far away for her to reach him before the blackness came crashing down over her. She tried calling out to Faye for help, but there wa sno response.

Faye was just as helpless as she was.


	10. Chapter 10

Kim let out an involuntary cry of pain as she was thrown back into her clinically white cell. She got to her feet and charged at the Global Justice guards who had tossed her into the room. The door slid shut and sealed just as she reached it. Kim screamed in rage and slammed a fist against the door, before dragging herself over to the small bunk and throwing herself on it.

It had been days since Paris, and during all that time, Kim's life had been reduced to an unending string of prolonged and humiliating agonies. She hadn't seen Ron or her Family in all that time, only being told by Will Du that the Possibles, the Stoppables, and Wade were being held in "protective custody, for the time being." So, aside from meals and the occasional bathroom break, there had been a series of systematic attmpts to force Faye out of hiding. Everything from sleep deprivation, to prolonged drugging had been used. Today, however, today they had upped their game...

--

"It's not working, sir." Will said over the phone to ICAD One, raising his voice to be heard over the screams coming from behind the security door.

"Up the voltage, then." ICAD One replied. "I want Morgan by the end of the week, Du."

"Yes, sir, I understand that. But if we push too hard, we're going to have permanent damage, and we don't know how much punishment one takes will affect the other."

"Noted, Agent Du. Which is why I haven't authorized any of the Class C interrogation methods. I'll give you two more days, but if there's no progress, we may have to move to more drastic methods. In the meantime..."

"...yes, sir." Du hung up the phone, and pressed the button for the intercom in the room. "Up the voltage."

The volume of the screams increased, makuing it through the one way glass and into the observation room. Du forced himself to watch every minute of it.

--

Kim tugged down the hospital gown they made her wear, and turned towards the wall, not giving them the satisfaction of seeing how much it was getting to her. She was tired, hurting, and plotting horrible bloody vengance for when she finally got out of here.

_Good for you. It's about time._

Kim's eyes snapped open, and she forced herself to remain in her current position. She hadn't heard from Faye since her capture. Her deranged alter ego had been worryingly absent, and even worse, silent. Kim had figured she was lying low, since she could still feel Faye lurking like a hibernating snake in the bottom of her brain.

"Faye?" she asked.

_Keep your mouth shut. You want to play another round of "Where Will the Electrodes Go Next?"_

Kim bit her lip and resigned herself to what was going to be the strangest conversation she would ever have in her life.

**Where the hell have you been?**

_What do you care? I figured you'd be grateful for the break._

**Cute. **

_Still putting up the brave front, huh? Noble. Stupid...but noble._

**It's not a front.**

_Sure it isn't. When are you going to accept the fact that I know what you know, I feel what you feel? Well, when I'm awake anyway._

**Is there a point to all this, or are you just gloating?**

_You're dying, Kim._

**Yeah, right.**

_I suppose I deserve that. I'm not lying, Kim. You know that. I've done a lot of horrible, wonderful things. But have I ever lied to you?_

**...**

_Clearly you need proof. Close your eyes._

**Why? So you can take control again?**

_So I can share with you what I can feel and hear. I promise I won't take control unless you say so. Seriously, what have you got to lose?_

**...all right. **

Kim took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She fought to keep from opening them again as she suddenly heard the pounding of her heart. The arrythmic pounding of her heart. She felt the blood flowing in her veins and arteries slowing down. She could hear the synapses in her brain as they fired at fewer intervals. Her nerve endings were singing from overexertion, and every little nick and cut and fracture felt like agony.

**How do you put up with this?**

_I don't. You're the one hurting like this, Kim. Not me._

**I thought we shared the damage we took.**

_Not anymore. I figured out how to keep it seperate. No reason for both of us to be hurting on a regular basis._

Kim shifted on the bed, and bit down sharply on her lip as blinding pain moved in a wave throughout her body.

**Stop it...STOP IT, PLEASE!**

_Whoops! Sorry. Deep breaths._

Kim took several deep breaths, returning her breathing to normal as the pain receded to its previous level. She gingerly rolled back to her original position and opened her eyes.

**What do you want?**

_I want to help._

**I seriously doubt that.**

_Fine. I want control. Permanently._

**Not a chance in hell.**

_Thank you for the oh-so-typical Kim Possible response. You know it's going to happen. Even if they weren't torturing you in an effort to force a change, you have to have realized that I'm the stronger of the two of us now. It's happening whether you want it or not, so why not just let it happen now?_

**Because I'm not dead yet. I can still figure out a way out of here, save everyone and--**

_And get this room filled with knockout gas the second you get up to go to that door. GJ knows all your tricks, Kim. That's one of the dangers of having your allies turn on you. They know how to keep you neutralized. _

**They'll do the same to you. **

_But they don't know ALL my tricks. Hell, to be honest, even I don't know all my tricks yet. _

**I'm not letting you loose on the world. I won't be responsible for that.**

_And once again, the typical stupidly noble response. And again I say to you, it's going to happen anyway. You've got about two days left. Then you die. _

**And you die with me. ICAD One doesn't get either of us. Sounds like I win.**

_Really? What about Ron?_

**What?**

_What about Ron? Or his parents? Your parents? The Tweebs? What about Hana, Kim?_

**You won't be able to do anything to them. They're safe.**

_I wasn't talking about me. Do you really think ICAD One is just going to let them go once we croak? They can't risk this getting out and damaging GJ's reputation. They're all loose ends. And I think we can guess what sort of solution ICAD One has for loose ends. _

**...**

_Let me out. Let me out and I promise they'll be safe. No one will lay a hand on any of them. _

**I don't trust you.**

_Which means you aren't a complete idiot. But I WILL get them out. And I'll leave them alone. Once they're safe, they'll never see me again. _

**Never?**

_Never. In fact, I'll go so far as to call the entire Tri-City region "Off-Limits." Come on, Kim, deep down you know they'll never be safe unless I get them out of here. You don't have the strength anymore. I do. Let me out. _

**Three conditions.**

_Go._

**You get everyone out safely, including Dr. Director. You disappear once they're back home. **

_Done. And the third?_

**...you make them suffer for what they've done to all of us. **

_Are you sure? No take-backs once it happens._

**No more rules. Wipe the floor with them.**

_Now you're talking..._

---

"Sir?"

Will Du turned at the sound of the security tech's voice. He walked over to the montoring station. "What is it?"

"Movement from Possible's cell, sir."

"Show me." Du watched as the tech rewound the video on one screen, keeping the live feed open on another. On the playback, Possible collapsed on her bunk, facing the wall. She lay there for a few minutes, shifting slighty a couple of times. Then she shivered and Du swore he had seen her body...blur. Possible was still again afterwards. He looked over at the live feed.

Possible stood up, keeping her back to the camera. Du watched as she stretched her arms over her head and baend from side to side, working out kinks in her muscles. She seemed stronger than she had been when they had thrown her back in the cell. Healthier. Almost as if...

Du grabbed a nearby phone an punched in an extension. "Sir, it's Du. We have Morgan. Repeat: we have Morgan." Du listened to ICAD One's voice as he continued to monitor the cell. Morgan turned, showing her face for the first time. Her expression was one of barely concealed glee. She grinned widely, waving at the camera.

"She's taunting us on the camera, sir. Should I activate the gas?"

"Not yet," ICAD One replied. "I want to see what she'll do first. Have the Pacification Squad standing by."

"Yes, sir." Du lowered the handset and spoke to the securty tech. "Tell the Pacification Squad to be on alert and waiting in the corridor. We don't know what she's going to try."

The tech nodded and sent out the alert. Meanwhile, Morgan stood in the center of the cell, her hands on her hips, surveying the room.

"Good god, you guys don't waste any money on frills, do you?" came her voice over the microphone. "Seems a shame really. You might have saved yourself a lot of grief. 'Cause I'm bored. Very, very bored."

Morgan walked over to where the only other furnishing in the room were. A metal chair and table, both bolted to the ground. She looked at the chair, gripped it with one hand, and with a grunt of exertion, ripped it from the bolts in the floor and held it up.

"And when I'm bored, stuff has a tendancy to get broken. Like, oh say, nosy security cameras. Ta ta!"

With that, she hurled the chair at the camera and the feed went dark. Du grabbed the radio headset form the security tech, and slapped the button that activated the knockout gas.

"Squad A, we have a security breach, knockout gas is filling the room. Masks on, and restrain the subject!"

"Roger that, Control." came the squad leader's voice. "Masks on, entering holding cell. Visibility is low, gas still hasn't cleared. Wait...I think I see something..."

Du and the security tech winced as the sounds of a violent beating came over the radio. The members of the squad screaamed and yelled, firing rubber bullets at random artound the room. There were screams of pain and the sounds of bodies hitting the floor like sacks of meat. Within twenty seconds the sounds had stopped, nothing but the hiss of the ventilation fans as they sucked the knockout gas out of the cell.

"Squad leader, report." Du said quietly. "Squad leader, report! Did you neutralize the subject?"

The sound of breathing filled the speakers, then a lilting sing song voice filled the airwaves.

"No more mercy, no more fools, no more of Kimmie's stupid rules."

"You can't escape, Morgan," Du said. "The base is on lockdown. There's no way out."

"Who says I want to get out?" Morgan replied with a sharp little laugh. "It's much more fun to have the little rats scurry around trying to stay alive. Catch me if you can, Willy."

The radio expired with a sharp whine of feedback as Morgan destroyed the radio. Du tore off the headset and looked down at the security tech. "Red alert. Every squad at the ready. And get extra agents on the detainees."

As the tech activated the alarms, Du picked the phone back up. "Yes, sir. I suggest clearing out as quickly as you can. I think we should take every precaution, just to be on the safe side. Yes, sir. Honestly, sir, while Possible looked to be on her last legs, Morgan doesn't. I honestly don't know what to expect. Yes, sir, I would say that. Yes, sir. I'll keep you posted."

Du hung up the phone, and put on the radio headset again, tunig it to an all-access frequency. "Attention all agents, we are at red alert. Repeat: we are at red alert. Be ready for anything, people...

"The monster is loose."


	11. Chapter 11

"Elbow to the face, kick to the ribs, fist to the nose, wait for the blood...good...heel to the kneecap...then to the groin...tilt up the chin, aaaaaaaaand KABAM!"

The hapless GJ agent who had encountered Faye Morgan in the locker room flew through the air and slammed into a bank of lockers. Faye strode up to the prone form, flexing her fingers.

"Damn, need to pull the punch next time. I just wanted to get your attention." she said, kneeling down, and rifling through the agent's pockets. She pulled out a ring of keys, with a coded key card on the ring. "Oooh, 'Arsenal Officer!' Very nice. Thank you....Alice. Now, lessee here."

Faye stood up and loked the prone agent over. "Looks like we wear the same size. Now where's your locker, Alice?"

Faye scanned the lockers, located the right one, and casually punched a hole through the door, follwed by ripping it off the hinges and tossing it aside. There was a gym bag in the locker. A pair of black gloves and ankle boots were under the bag. Faye unzipped it and pulled out a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. As she did so, a cheap MP3 player with a built-in USB jack clattered on the floor.

Faye picked it up and turned it on. She scrolled through the titles on the miniature display. She grinned. "Oh, this'll scare the _shit_ out of 'em. Thanks, Alice!"

--

Elsewhere in the building, the Possibles, the Stoppables, and Wade were pondering their situation. To be fair, Global Justice had placed them in what was basically a self contained three bedroom apartment. The sleeping arrangements were cramped, but livable. It would have been kind of pleasant, if the door wasn't always locked.

And if Ron didn't keep trying to break it down.

"Son, give it a rest." his father said. "The door isn't going to budge."

Ron slammed a fist into the door. "I channeled the ultimate monkey power when Kim was about to be killed by aliens and now, I can't even get a flicker when she might be getting tortured to death! What the hell good am I?"

"Ronnie, watch your language." his mom replied automatically, putting her hands over Hana's ears. The toddler burbled happily, thinking it was a new game.

Ron stalked over to the couch and sat down heavily, frustration warring with despair on his face. "Where's Wade?"

"In the bedroom with James and the boys." Anne said, coming from the kitchenette. She handed Ron a soda. "Still no luck in decoding the lock."

"Thanks, Dr. P." Ron said, opening the soda and taking a swig. he looked up at Anne, his anger having been replaced with sadness. "Do you think we'll get her back? I mean, for good?"

Anne sighed and sat on the arm of the couch. "Assuming we manage to get out of this? I don't know, Ron. The idea Wade and I had is extremely risky."

"What do you mean?"

"It's complex, but basically...no, let's try this instead. Have you seen the movie _Identity_?"

"Mom still doesn't let R-rated movies in the house, and Kim--"

"Doesn't really like them." Anne finished, smiling. "I know. In any event, I'm afraid I have to spoil the movie for you in order for you to understand. In _Identity_, ten people end up at a motel in the middle of nowhere thanks to a blinding rainstorm. As they bunk down, someone starts killing them off one by one."

"Like that Agatha Christie book?" Ron asked.

"Similar. But the twist here is that it turns out that these ten people aren't actually real, and neither is the motel or the storm."

"Say what?"

Anne smiled again before continuing. "The ten people are actually the multiple personalities of a prison inmate who is about to be executed for murder. He's the subject of an experimental psychiatric procedure which puts all his personalities in conflict with each other until only one is left."

"Yeah, but that's a movie." Ron said, "I bet you can't use something like that in real life."

"And you'd be right...if it weren't Kim and Faye we were talking about. Since we know that Faye has her own mind within Kim's head, it means that, if we can induce the right kind of hypnotic state, we could conceivably force Kim and Faye to confront each other."

"Confront? You mean fight?"

"Essentially."

Ron frowned. "To the death?"

Anne's face fell and she looked at the floor. "...yes."

Ron grabbed Anne's shoulders."And you were going to put Kim up against Faye with no backup? No offense, Dr. P, but are you nuts?"

Anne frowned at Ron in such a way that Ron quickly took his hands away. "No, it isn't the ideal situation, Ron. But we know that Faye likes existing and she's not going to give up without a fight. The only ace that we have is that Kim is still in there and we know that she NEVER gives up. Ever."

Anne sighed and leaned against the back of the sofa. "Of course, the hard part is going to get Faye to stay still long enought to induce that hypnotic state."

Ron looked at the floor, processing all this. He looked up at Anne, resolute.

"Don't worry, Dr. P. I'll make sure she stays put." He got up from the couch and barged into the bedroom "Wade, show me what you got so far. We're getting out of this dump!"

--

"Squad B reporting," said the squad leader into his communicator. Behind him, the six members of his squad nervously scanned the corridors surrounding them.

"We're moving into Southwest Sub 3. No sign of target."

"Eyes open, Squad B," Will Du replied, "Agent Newsome was found in the locker room down there. Odds are that she hasn't gone far."

"Copy that, Control." the squad leader let go of the button on the mic, keeping the channel open so Control could monitor the situation. He nodded at the other GJ agents in the squad, who removed the stun rifles they had been issued.

As they moved down the corridor, each agent checked the others that branched off of it, calling out "clear" when they saw nothing. As they moved into the next sector, the squad leader got back on the radio.

"Squad B reporting, moving into Southwest Sub 4. Still no sign of--"

There was a sudden burst of feedback over the radio and the PA speakers in the ceiling. It was quickly replaced with was sounded like a Pink song in progress.

_I'm the instigator of underwear_

_Showing up here and there._

_Uh-oh. (oh no.)_

_I'm always on a mission from the get go. (get go.)_

_So what if it's only one o'clock in the afternoon?_

_It's never too soon _

_To send out all the invitations_

_To the last night of your lives!_

Suddenly, there was a flash of scarlet and the GJ squad found themselves confronted with a whirling dervish of energy as Faye dropped form a ceiling vent and into their midst. Stun rifles were dropped as she quickly and ruthlessly began dislocating limbs and breaking teeth, singing along with the music as she did so.

"Lordy lordy lordy, I can't help it. I like to party. It's genetic. It's electrifying."

Faye grabbed the stun rifle from one dumbfounded agent and turned it on the squad, immobilizing three of them. She then tossed it aside, and threw an elbow directly into the face of the agent sneaking up behind her, blackening his eye. She followed that up with a roundhouse kick that broke his jaw in three places and sent him to the floor.

"Wind me up and watch me go, where she stops, nobody knows. It's a good excuse to be a bad influence on you."

Faye finished the verse by kneeing one of the remaining agents in the groin, grabbed his nose between her first two fingers and twisted sharply, breaking his nose. The agent crumpled to the floor, trying to staunch the massive flow of blood gushing from his nostrils.

Before Faye had a chance to admire her handiwork, the only female agent in the squad threw an arm around her neck, attempting to get the violent sociopath in a headlock. Faye grinned and sunk her teeth into the agent's forearm, drawing blood. The agent relaxed her grip out of reflex, giving Faye the chance to smash one of the agent's kneecaps with her left foot. The agent collapsed on the floor. Faye stood over her, grinned and slowly and deliberately licked the blood from her teeth.

"Yummy," she said, conversationally, "Although, if I were you, I'd get to an OB/GYN pretty damn quick--"

Another agent charged Faye, only to be grabbed by the throat and casually tossed into the far wall. He slumped to the floor, unconscious. Faye rolled her eyes and turned back tot he female agent.

"As I was saying," she continued, "it tastes like you're about three weeks along. Might want to see what sort of maternity program GJ offers."

She turned back to the only agent still standing, the squad leader, who had pulled out his sidearm and was holding it. The gun didn't shake but Faye noticed the extra tension in the squad leader's shoulder.

"Oh put it away, will you?" she said, grabbing the gun and easily disarming him. "God, you guys suck. I'll never understand why Kimmie considered hooking up with you once she got out of college. Oh well."

Her fist flashed out and made contact with the squad leader's jaw, knocking him out instantly. As he hit the floor, Faye noticed a palm pilot-like device on his belt. She reached down and picked it up, thumbing the screen. It lit up, asking for a thumb scan. Faye grabbed the leader's thumb and pressed it against the screen. The screen switched to a minature desktop. Faye thumbed through a few screens until she found the prisoner roster.

She smiled, made sure the device wasn't goihng to kick her out, and pocketed it, singing again as she walked away.

"I'm off to see the doctor. I hope she has a cure. She wants to make me better. What does that even mean? We don't know!"

--

Will Du strode down the holding cell corridor, two Global Justice agents flanking him. He was speaking into a bluetooth headset lodged in his ear.

"ICAD One is clear? Good. Judging from what we heard on Squad B's radios, Morgan's heading for Dr. Director. I'm heading there now to move her to a new location. Keep the squads moving and for God's sake, tell them to be more careful than Squad B was. Du out."

He stopped in front of one cell and swiped his ID in the card reader by the door. The red light above the door turned green and the door hissed open. Inside, Dr. Director was lying on the bunk, her good arm behind her head.

"Dr. Director, we need to move you." Du said respectfully.

"Bit off more than you could chew, have you?" Director said, not moving. "Where's ICAD One?"

"He's already relocated."

"Figures. I never liked the rat bastard, did you know that?"

"I think we all knew that, Dr. Director." Du answered. Director sat up on the bunk, taking care not to bump her casted arm.

"Morgan's loose, isn't she?' Director gave an evil little grin. "Morgan's loose and she's ripping through the ranks."

"She hasn't killed anyone."

"Not yet." Director responded. "If Morgan's loose, that means either your torture plans backfired spectacularly or she finally overpowered Kimberly. In the first case, you have a slim chance Kimberly could return. In the other, Morgan can now operate without any sort of restriction. In either case, Agent Du...well, to be brutally honest about it, you're fucked."

Du's frown deepened. "I can understand you aren't happy with me, but Morgan is headed here, and she's not after me. She's after you, and as such, we need to make sure you're safe."

"Oh, she doesn't have to worry about me." came a new voice.

Du whirled around and Director got to her feet. Faye Morgan stood in the doorway, leaning up with one hand on the door frame. Behind her, the two GJ agents on guard were lying tangled on the floor. She smiled brightly, violet eyes glittering in the light.

"You, on the other hand, Willy, are in BIIIIIIIIG trouble." she finished. Du quickly pressed a button to his GJ Stopwatch. The taser cup flew out of the watch and towards Faye. There was a flash of movement and, amazingly, Faye was holding the cable, past the suction cup.

"Bad move, Willy." Faye yannked ont he cable roughly. Will, not prepared for her disproportionate strength, was pulled off his feet. As he approached Faye, she whirled around and caught him with a roundhouseto the face. No sooner had Du hit the floor, than Directer darted forward with a strike from her good arm. Faye quickly blocked, causing Director to counter with a kick to Faye's ribs. Faye grunted from the impact but smiled.

"Sneaky. I like that." She responded with a flurry of punches that Director expertly dodged and blocked with her good arm. Faye grinned again.

"No wonder Kimmie looked up to you. Even with one arm, you still could kick somebody's ass."

"I'm sure if it weren't you, I'd feel flattered." Director responded with another punch. "You're no slouch yourself."

Faye grinned again as she blocked it. "Too bad I have to end it." Her other arm flashed out, grabbed Director's cast and twisted, breaking the cast and the arm inside it. Director screamed in agony and fell to the floor, nursing her arm. Faye looked down at her.

"Sorry about that, but look on the bright side, Kimmie asked me to rescue you. It's easier if you aren't trying to take me down at the same time."

"Then I'll do it!" Du said as he threw an arm around Faye's neck. Faye snarled and twisted. Du wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow Faye managed to break his grip, shatter one kneecap and get him in the exact same headlock, with the exception that Faye was increasing the pressure and cutting off his oxygen.

"You sell out your boss, you torture one of your best allies, and you try to sneak up on me. You have got to be one of the dumbest human beings I've ever met. Admittedly, that's not saying much, since it's only been three months."

Du struggled to escape, causing Faye to tighten her grip. His face turned red as his air was cut off.

"Ah ah ah," Faye chided. "You know, Willy, I can understand why you sold everybody out. I don't like it, but I can understand it. You're a guy in an untenable positon. Loyal to the job and the ideals, right?"

Du struggled some more, and Faye loosened her grip just enough to let him gasp for air before tightening her grip again. Du tried to pry her arm away from his neck but Faye's arm proved immobile.

"Pay attention, will you?" Faye said, annoyed. "But then you chose to be loyal to the rules. The procedure. So, I'm pretty sure if I asked you why you did it, you'd say 'I was only following orders.' Am I right?"

Du groaned in response.

"I thought so. And honestly, I really don't get a lot of pleasure out of killing guys who are just doing their jobs." Faye glanced over at Dr. Director, who looked back, frowned and shook her head. Faye's grin turned satanic and she looked down at Du.

The Global Justice agent's eyes widened and he made one last struggle just before Faye twisted his head and snapped his neck. She dropped Du's lifeless body to the floor and looked at Dr. Director.

"But I get enough." she finished. Her expression hardened and she stormed into the cell, jerked Dr. Director to her feet and shoved her forward.

"Let's go, Betty, and don't do anything heroic or, promise or no promise, you're gonna be put in the category of Regretful Casualties."

Faye put pressure on the damaged arm and propelled Director out of the holding area.

--

"So," Ron said, "is this going to work?"

"Please." Jim replied.

"It's us." Tim finished.

"Boys, I've told you before, while anything's possible for a Possible, it's not polite to brag," James chided from behind Ron. He grinned. "At least not until AFTER you've been proven right."

"Wade?" Ron asked. "Is this going to work?"

Wade and the Tweebs had pried the security keypad by the door off and had wired in a strange device composed of tinfoil, lamp cord, electronics stolen from the television, several pieces of silverware, and the keypad itself. The imprisoned families had gathered around to witness the preteen geniuses in action.

"It should." Wade answered. "It'd be a lot faster if we had the Kimmunicator, but this should do in a pinch. The keypad is wired in such a way so that, once Jim makes the final connection, it'll run as many number combinations as it can through the system. Once we have a match, the door should open. Simple."

"I hope so," Mr. Stoppable said. "But that's one hell of a lot of numbers to run. It could take days."

"Language!" Mrs. Stoppable snapped, covering Hana's ears again.

"Sorry, dear."

"Anyway," Wade said, dragging the topic back to the device. "If all goes well, we should be out of here in a matter of minutes. Ready, Jim?"

Jim gave a thumbs up. "Ready!"

"Hit it."

Jim connected up the final wire. No sooner had he done so, than the light on the door frame switched from red to green and the latch clicked audibly. The group looked up at the door in surprise.

"That's...fast." Ron said. Wade frowned.

"It shouldn't have been." he replied.

The door flew open, revealing Faye and Dr. Director. "It wasn't." Faye said simply, before striding into the room. The parent sin the room protectively grabbed their children. Ron shook his dad's hand off his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. Faye frowned.

"Didn't I warn you about taking that tone with me?" she said. "And ihn answer to your question, I'm saving your collective asses."

"Lang--" Mrs. Stoppable began,but snapped her mouth shut when Faye turned her gaze on her. Faye turned her attention back to Ron.

"So, let's get everybody rounded up and out of this hellhole, huh?"

"We're not going anywhere with you." Anne said firmly. "We will go with Kim."

"Not possible...in every sense of the word." Faye answered. "Don't argue with me."

"Don't." said. "She's not lying."

"What do you mean? What happened to Kim?" James demanded. Faye frowned and walked towards the Possibles, ping ponging her gaze between them, her voice rising with each sentence.

"Let me make this simple for you. Your daughter is DEAD, Dr. Possible. She turned control over to me, Dr. Possible. She will not be coming back, Dr. Possible. I'm your only chance of getting out of here alive, Dr. Possible! Is that CLEAR, DOCTOR POSSIBLE?!"

Anne smacked Faye across the face hard enough to turn her head.

Faye paused and held up one finger. "You're upset at the news. It's a shock. So I'll let that slide," She turned her head back to face Anne. "But you touch me again, and one of your precious little Tweebs are going to pay the price."

"Don't threaten me." Anne said, holding Faye's gaze. "You may be nothing like her, but that's still my daughter's body you're running around in."

"I don't make threats. Do I, Betty?" Faye called over her shoulder. Director looke dup from where she was slumped against the door, holding her broken arm.

"She killed Will Du," she stated quietly. As the news sunk in, a siren started sounding and red lights began flashing.

"Well," Faye said, "looks like we have to table this discussion until later. MOVE IT!"

The group quickly filed out of the room, Dr. Director leading, Ron bringing up the rear, with Anne pausing just long enough to give Faye another dirty look, which was ignored.

Ron paused at the door. "We're not done, lady."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, sport." Faye replied. She shoved Ron out the door and they followed the rest of the group down the hallway.

--

With Will out of the picture, and ICAD One incommunicado, the GJ forces were in disarray,making the rest of the escape surprisingly smooth. After "consulting" with Dr. Director, Faye led the group to the roof of the building where there was a wating helicopter.

"I'm not going to be able to fly it. Not with this arm." Director said, as they reached the roof access.

"Not a problem," Faye said. "'Daddy' can fly it. He took lessons last summer. Can't you, Jimmy?"

"Don't call me Jimmy, young lady." James replied. He turned to Dr. Director. "But she's right. I mean, it was a smaller helicopter, but the principle should be the same, right?"

"I'll coach you." Director sighed.

"Glad that's settled." Faye opened the door to the roof. A huge gust of wind almost blew it closed. She forced it open and motioned the group through. Ron and Dr. Director were the last throguh. As Ron helped the former GJ commander, he felt a weight pressed into his hand. He glanced down and his eyes widened as he saw the knockout dart Director had passed to him.

"I grabbed it when she wasn't looking. Take her out as soon as you can." Director whispered. Ron nodded in reply and put the dart in his pocket.

The wind picked up out on the roof proper. In the distance, dark menacing clouds were visible in the night sky, illuminated by flashes of lightning.

"Better get loaded quick, kids." Faye said. "That storm's gonna play hell if it gets here before we take off."

The desire for freedom overriding the desire to get away form Faye, the Possibles and the Stoppables began loading the helicopter. Wade followed them and Ron stopped in front of Faye before he boarded.

"What next?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Faye said, looking at the roof access in case any GJ agents happened to get antsy."What do you mean what next?"

"After we get out of here. What happens then?"

Faye shrugged. "You go home. I go away. And if we're both lucky, we'll never see each other again."

"I see." Ron said quietly. His arm flashed out, bringing the dart up towards Faye's neck. Before he knew it, he was flying through the air and slid along the gravelled roof. he rolled to a stop and started to get up.

There was an explosion of pain in his ribs and he fell back to the roof, where pressure was placed on his hand, forcing him to drop the dart. He looke dup to see Faye standing menacingly over him.

"You just couldn't leave it alone could you?" she said, anger creasing her features. "I was really hoping to avoid this, but you just had to push."

"You aren't winning, lady." Ron growled. "I want her back."

"Well, you can't have her." Faye said, putting more weight on Ron's hand. Ron grimaced in pain. "She gave up, Ronnie. She lost. I won." Faye began stomping on Ron's hand with each of her words. "And. She's. Not. Coming. BACK!"

On "BACK!" Faye reared back and kicked Ron across the face sending him rolling across the roof. Faye snorted and turned back to the group crowed around the helicopter. "If your asses aren't airborne in the next two minutes, I'm gonna finish the job GJ had planned for you! Understand?"

"Oh, you betcha." came a quiet voice from behind Faye. She looked over her shoulder and was blinded by a flash of blue light. Faye foundherself flying through the air, but she managed to right herself and land in a crouching position on the roof, sliding on the soles of her feet. She came to a stop and looked up.

Ron was standing on the opposite end of the roof, surrounded by a glowing blue numbus of energy that was in the vauge shape of a monkey. He glared at her with a stern expression.

"You're done, Faye. No more. I'm going to get Kim back." he said quietly.

Faye's face twisted into a sadistic grin. "Over my dead body."

Ron shrugged. "If that's how it's gotta be."

"I was hoping you'd say something like that."

Lightning flashed and the thunder followed a scant few seconds afterward.

The storm had arrived.

--

"Bad Influence" lyrics ©2009 Billy Mann, Alecia B. Moore, Butch Walker


	12. Chapter 12

"Dr. Director," Ron called across the roof, "get everyone back inside."

Across the roof from him, Faye Morgan grinned evilly, the rising wind making her blood red hair flow behind her.

"Yes, by all means, Betty," she said. "Get everyone back inside. Ronnie and I have a few things to discuss."

Dr. Director looked back at Ron. "Ronald, are you sure...?"

"Do it." Ron said sternly, not taking his gaze off Faye. The aura of Mystical Monkey Power around him flared briefly before returning to a steady glow.

Director nodded and notioned for everyone to get off the plane. As she stepped down, Mrs. Stoppable ran to her son.

"Ronnie, come on, you don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do, Mom." Ron's gaze was steady. Faye folded her arms and looked amused. "She killed Kim."

"Actually, it was more of an assisted suicide thing." Faye replied. Ron narrowed his eyes, gently took his mother by the shoulders and pushed her aside.

"Go downstairs, Mom. I'll be down in a minute."

"I'm not letting you face that _thing_ alone!"

Ron finally turned to face her, his expression softening. "There's no one else left to stop her, Mom. If I don't do it, who will?"

Mrs. Stoppable looked at her son, her eyes watering. She threw her arms around him.

"You come back to me in one piece, young man. Or you are going to get it, understand?" she sobbed.

Ron smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

From across the roof: "Oh, that is just so...NAUSEATING. Can we get on with it please?"

Ron and his mother looked up and gave Faye identical looks. Faye simply put her hands on her hips and looked bored. Mrs. Stoppable broke from Ron and went to join the rest of the group. As the group went back inside, the Possibles looked at Ron. Their expressions were all that was needed: Do what you have to. She'd understand.

Wade passed Ron on his way to the roof access. "Good luck, Ron. Wish I could be of more help."

Ron smirked. "Wade, my man, you've been more than a help through all of this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Rufus. "Take care of Rufus for me, okay? And Rufus, you hang in there, buddy. I'll be right back."

Rufus sniffled and bawled as Wade took him through the roof access. Dr. Director paused before leaving.

"We'll be ready. Just in case." she said.

Ron nodded. Director left and the door clanged shut. Faye rolled her eyes.

"Finally," she snorted. "Any other touching family moments you want to have before you experience new and exciting levels of pain?"

Ron cracked his knuckles, then moved into a fighting stance. "Only one. If Kim's still in there somewhere, you know you aren't going to win. Because she loves me, and I love her and--"

"Oh, Christ, don't give me that True Love Conquers All shit. Save it for the movies with the chicks in frilly dresses who dance with forest animals and sentient teapots," Faye interrupted. She slowly began circling Ron, who pivoted on one foot to keep her in view. Faye fented a couple of times, causing Ron to put his guard up.

"You know, despite the fact that you've been really snotty ever since I got you out of that cell, I actually do like you, Ronnie. You're like me."

"I'm NOTHING like you!" Ron snarled.

Faye gave a predatory one sided grin. "Really? You don't think so? Let's see, you almost always tell the truth. So do I. You always kept your word to Kimmie. So did I. And we both left her in the dirt."

Ron stared. "What?"

"You really couldn't tell?" Faye asked. "She was AFRAID of you, Ronnie."

"Don't call me 'Ronnie!'" Ron yelled, charging across the roof and executing a strike which Faye easily blocked. Ron followed up with more strikes, which was just as efficently parried. The two began moving across the roof, exchanding punches and kicks. Ron executed a perfect foot sweep which Faye jumped over. When she landed, she brought her foot up high for an axe kick. Ron crossed his forearms above his head and blocked the kick.

"She was afraid of YOU!" Ron growled shoving hard, sending Faye stumbling. Faye shifted her weight and turned the stumble into a cartwheel that left her standing upright. She laughed as Ron got to his feet.

"Oh, I'm not going to argue with you on that." she said. "But she was just as afraid of you."

"I'm not the one who was trying to hurt her!"

Faye laughed again. "Who said anything about hurting her? It wasn't that. And it wasn't the reason she was afraid of me, either. It's what we represented, Ronnie. She was afraid of our power. She was afraid of being _replaced._"

Faye began forward flipping across the roof, increasing in speed with each flip. She handsprung into the air and planted both feet into Ron's chest. Ron fell to the ground, while Faye pushed off him to backflip into the air and back onto her feet.

"That's not true." Ron said quietly. Faye shook her head.

"Really? She saw the footage the Lorwardian war drones recorded when you fought Warmonga and Warhok. She saw what you can do now. And let's face it, _Ronnie_, when your sidekick acquires nearly god-like power, are above average cheerleading skills really going to cut it anymore? If you can destroy an alien warship single handed without needing to be inside it, what do you need her for? She was DONE, Ron. And when I came along, and was able to kick a hundred times more ass than she ever did, well, it was only a matter of time before she was going to give up."

"Kim doesn't give up!" Ron got to his feet, got a running start and slid across the roof. Faye leaped into the air, but Ron amanaged to catch her foot between his shins and roteded sharply, sending her crashing into the roof. Faye yelped as her chin hit the roof and she bit her tongue hard. She kicked her way out of Ron's leg grip and got to her feet, spitting out blood.

"Nice," she commented. "Of course she did. If she didn't, I wouldn't be here, would I? You outclassed her, Ron, and she knew it! So, she's gone. And now that we've established that fact..."

Faster than Ron could follow, Faye reached down and pulled him close. Her face had lost it's psychotically amused expression and instead looked evil and menacing.

"...STOP HOLDING BACK!" With a growl of exertion she spun and threw Ron over the side of the building. Ron's yell dopplered away as he fell out of sight. Faye snorted and walked to the edge of the roof. She peered over the edge.

"Are we really going to do this old cliche?" she called down. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a fist connected with her jaw, sending her flying with a grunt of pain. At the same time, lightning crashed, thunder roared and the rain began pouring down as Ron, surrounded by his mystical aura, levitated up and onto the roof.

Ron glared down at Faye. "You want to give up now?"

Faye looked up at him and grinned. "Are you kidding? I'm having way too much fun!"

Faye's claws ripped through the fingertips of her gloves and she sprang to her feet, taking a swipe at Ron. Ron backflipped out of the way, one of his feet flashing out. Faye snapped her hands out, caught it, then spun in place and sent Ron across the roof, causing him to crash into the roof access door. It buckled under the impact, and Ron slid down to the ground.

"That's it." he snarled. he got to his feet and concentrated. The aura flared up around him, his hair spiked upward and he slammed a foot down onto the roof, sending a massive seimic shockwave across the roof. Gravel and dust rippled across the roof.

Faye leaped into the air to avoid the wave. As she rose into the air, Ron tackled her around the waist and bore her to the ground. Faye landed on her stomach, Ron on top of her.

"Bastard!" she cried, throwing an elbow back. it connected just under Ron's rib cage, forcing the air out of his lungs. Ron gasped for breath and the mystical aura disappeared. Faye forced Ron off her and got to her feet, following up the elbow with a kick to the same place. Ron tried to howl in pain, but couldn't get the air into his lungs.

"Hail to the Mystical Monkey Master!" Faye taunted, kicking him again. Ron rolled across the roof, trying to get to his feet. His lungs were burning and he found himself lacking the strength to get up. Faye walked up and kicked him in the face.

"Behold the Chosen One!" Faye sneered as Ron flipped onto his back, blood spewing from his nose and mouth. Faye strolled up to him and looked down.

"And like so many heroes, he's going to die for the woman he loves. Isn't that just--AAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!"

Ron had gotten his wind back and struck out with his hand, extending his fingers at the end, so that they hit the nerve cluster right underneath her left kneecap. The leg collapsed and Faye fell to the ground. The monkey aura returned and Ron threw an arm around Faye's neck, clasping her in sleeper hold. Faye struggled, but Ron's arms wouldn't move.

"Give up." Ron said quietly. "Give up or I swear, I will choke you to death."

"Fuck you!" Faye gasped. Ron tightened his grip.

"Give up," he repeated.

"Not a chance." Faye felt her head lighten and her vision began to darken around the edges. She smiled. "Go ahead. Do it."

Ron's frown deepened. "It's not a bluff."

"I know." Faye answered. "It gets easier, doesn't it? First, the Lorwardians and now, me. Oh they're all gonna fear you, Ronnie. That'll be fun, won't it?"

Ron's frown disappeared. He remembered how he felt when GJ had reported that the remains of Warmonga and Warhok had been found. He hadn't wanted to kill them, just neutralize them. It had taken Kim weeks to convince him that it had been an accident. Even still, he never wanted to feel that way again.

He looked down at Faye...and found Kim staring up at him.

"Ron...help!" she said weakly, before passing out. Ron quickly let her go and cradled her in his arms.

"KP?" he asked quietly. Her eyes flashed open at the sound of his voice.

Her purple eyes.

"Sucker." she taunted. Ron wasn't quite sure what he saw. One second he was holding Kim, then her face...blurred. It wasn't the right description, but it was the closest he could think of to explain what he saw. He also didn't have a word for the sickening wormy sensation of the transformation of the body in his arms. In less than a second, Faye had returned and she had clutched his throat, the claws of her hand pressing into the soft flesh. Blood began to well from where her claws pierced his skin.

Ron automatically grabbed her wrist with both hands, trying to pry it from his neck. It was like trying to move an iron bar set in concrete. Ron managed to pull Faye's hand back enough to prevent her from crushing his windpipe.

Faye chuckled. "Looks like a stalemate, Ronnie. I can't get up just yet, and I seriously doubt you're going to break my grip."

Ron's eyes narrowed, and he letgo fo Faye's wrist, quickly grabbing her shouldrs. Faye yelp in surprise as Ron shifted his weight and began rolling the two of them across the roof. Faye let go of his neck and glanced at the rapidly approaching edge. She looked back up at Ron, who's stony expression indicated he had no intention of slowing down.

"Oh no you DON'T!" Faye cried, bringing one knee up sharply and painfully between Ron's legs. Ron's eyes practically bugged out of his head and he grit his teeth in pain. He let go of Faye and the two split apart and rolled to a stop.

Neither of them moved. They just laid on the roof, breathing heavily, letting the rain wash over them. Ron rolled onto his side and threw up. The purging made him feel slightly better. Nearly every muscle in his body was crying out in agony, and, although he had no intention of showing it, he could tell he had just about reached his limit with the Mystical Monkey Power. He had to finish this, and fast.

He rolled onto his stomach and got ready to get to his feet, when Faye leaped on top of him and forced him to the ground. She grabbed his hair and smashed his face into the roof.

"I've had enough of you, Stoppable." She growled through her teeth. She pulled his head back and slammed it into roof again. Blood was flowing freely from Ron's nose and mouth now, and one eye was beginning to swell.

Faye wasn't in much better condition. She had a large gash running down her cheek. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and she was pretty sure two of her teeth were loose enough to come out. She bashed Ron again.

"Give up." she said, her voice hoarse. "Give up or I'm going to rip your throat out. And then, I'm going to kill your parents, then Kim's parents, then the Tweebs, then Wade, and then..."

Faye brough Ron's head up and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "...I'm going to take my own sweet time with dear...defenseless...Hana."

Ron's good eye flashed open and his mouth curled up into a snarl. He bucked his head back, forcing Faye to smack herself in the face with her own hand. She yelped in surprise and fell onto her back. Ron leaped on top of her and hauled her up by her shirt. His aura flared brightly, and his eyes glowed with an unearthly light.

"DON'T TOUCH MY _SISTER!"_ He bellowed, his voice echoing with the primal rage of thousands of monkeys, apes, and other primates. He spun on his feet and threw Faye over his head towards the edge of the roof. As she passed over him, Faye's hand lashed out and she grabbed the collar of his shirt. The momentum was too much for Ron to compensate for and they both hurtled over the edge and towards the ground, seven stories below.

--

"Attention Global Justice, this is Dr. Director speaking. As of now, I am back in control. Disregard all orders issued by either ICAD One or Acting Director Du. We are no longer in the business of illegaly kidnapping people and holding them against their will. No disciplinary action will be taken at the present time. However, an investigation will be forthcoming and we shall see what happens then. Medical team, report to holding cell block C and clean up what you find there. More information to follow. That is all."

Dr. Director clicke doff the intercom and sat back in her desk chair. A member of the medical team was resetting her cast. She looked at the assembled throng of people.

"Wade, can you and Dr. Possible bring Kimberly back?"

"Well, maybe." Wade said. "In theory, what we want to do could work but--"

"There's only a 50/50 chance it will," Anne finished. "We can't force a permanent change. We're pretty sure that Faye's rapid development and mental separation are a side effect of DNAmy's modified Jekyll formula. At this point, Faye isn't a seperate personality, she's a competely separate person. The best we can do is try to force Kim and Faye to fight each other in their collective mind."

"Which means it could go either way." Director finished. She looked up at the Drs. Possible. "I have to consider the safety of the world as a whole. If we do this, and if Faye wins, will you prevent us from doing what we have to?"

James and Anne looked at each other. Director could see the conflict in their eyes, then the resolution. They held each other for support and looked at the Global Justice leader.

"If Faye wins," James began, "then it means our little girl really is dead."

"And if that's the case," Anne finished, " as far as we're concerned, she can burn in hell for it."

"First off," Wade said, trying to break the tension, "we better make sure it's even possible to bring Kim back. For all we know, Faye might be right. We should ge tback up there and--"

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of blue light through the window of the office, and a resounding crash that caused the whole building to vibrate. Director grabbed the phone.

"Report! What the hell was that?"

Director frowned as the report came back. "Have a medical team on standby. And clear the science lab in Subbasement Q. I'm sending Mr. Load and Dr. Possible down there. And somebody make the Stoppables comfortable for crying out loud!"

She slammed the phone down and looked up at the group. "They just fell off the roof and made a large crater in front of the building."

--

The medical team and a squad of security agents were waiting in the lobby when Dr. Director arrived with James, Mr. Stoppable, and Wade. Anne had gone down to the science lab to supervise the accumulation of equipment she and Wade were going to need. The Tweebs were assisting her. An understandably shellshocked Mrs. Stoppable and an equally oblivious Hana were taken to a plush reception room where GJ welcomed dignitaries and UN officials.

The hea dof the security squad saluted as the group entered the lobby. ", ma'am. So far, no activity outside the doors. Security cameras were apparently fried when whatever happened out there happened."

"Has anyone tried going out there?" Director asked. The security cheif shook his head.

"Given what we've been dealing with, ma'am, I'm not prepared to put any more of my team back into danger."

Director smiled. "Smart man. All right, I want security flanking the doors. Med team, be ready for anything. We don't know if eithe rof them survived that fall, but we want to be ready if they did. I'm going to open the door and--"

The doors burst open and a bruised, bloodied and exhausted Ron Stoppable staggered into the lobby. He was dragging an equally bruised, bloody but, more importantly, unconscious Faye Morgan by her shirt collar behind him. He peered ar the group with his good eye, then dragged Faye into the room and dropped her unceremoniously to the floor.

"Kim's alive." he said simply, "Now, get this bitch out of my girlfriend."

With that, his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell forward. The Global Justice agents swarmed to catch him. The medical team strapped Faye down tightly to a gurney, while the security team did likewise for Ron, although the restraints weren't nearly as tight. The group looked at Dr. Director.

"Orders, ma'am?" said the security cheif.

Dr. Director looked at Faye briefly, then back up. "You heard the man. Let's get this bitch out of his girlfriend."


	13. Chapter 13

"It's...impressive, I'll say that much." Dr. Director said as she entered the Subbasement Q science lab. Behind her, the medical team and a squad of GJ security officers wheeled in Faye Morgan, still unconscious. In front of her, however, was something she had never seen before.

Under the direction of Wade and Anne, with some assistance from Jim and Tim, several different GJ technologies, plus a few gadgets and gizmos confiscated from various supervillains over the years, had been combined into a technological marvel. The central component was a cylindrical chamber about the size of a phone booth, a small viewport was built in at eye level. Inside the chamber was a padded compartment designed for one occupant. A large virtual reality helmet was installed in the top of it.

From the cylinder came an array of cables, wires, and other paraphenalia connecting it to a large bank of computers. Those computers were all wirelessly networked to each other and constantly feeding information to the helmet in cylinder. Other cables and wires were connected to two large stun cannons mounted to the ceiling, both trained on the cylinder. More componets were wired together in ways that their use wasn't immediately apparent. All in all, the thing was something that Nikola Tesla could have invented for use in some old B-movie.

"Glad you like it." Anne said, putting down a clipboard. Wade and the Tweebs had manned three of the computer stations on the bank.

"Mind telling me what I'm looking at?" Dr. Director asked.

"Put her in the cylinder," Anne told the medical team. "The high grade restraints you use for people like Shego are in there." She turned to Wade. "Wade, I need to make sure she's connected up. Do the explaining will you?"

Wade nodded. Anne walked over to the medical team while he got up and went to Dr. Director. Director frowned.

"I really blew it with her, didn't I?" she asked.

"I don't think you're getting a Christmas card this year." Wade answered. "You don't want to know what the Stoppables think of you right now."

"Probably not," Director agreed. "So, what exactly is this thing?"

"Basically, it's a combination hypnosis generator and modified VR simulator. What we hope to do is induce a hypnotic state in Faye, then use a variant on my W.H.A.T. programs to create a mindscape where Kim and Faye can finally encounter each other. And after that, well, it's up to them."

"W.H.A.T. programs?" Director asked.

"Wade's Holographic Artifical Training." Wade explained, "It's a VR training simulator I knocked up for Kim a while back. In this case, all it's going to do is flash a series of patterns designed to put her back into hypnosis if she should happen to wake up before we're ready."

"What about monitoring?"

"Dr. Possible has the usual medical alerts: EKG, EEG, cardiograph and so on. But pretty much, from our perspective, we're not going to know what's going on in there until it's over."

"Any idea how long this will take?"

"As long as it needs to," Anne said, bringing the clipboard over. She handed it to Wade. "Medical's online. Double check this, will you please, Wade?"

"Sure thing," Wade took the clipboard and began looking over. Anne looked at Dr. Director.

"How's the patient?" she asked. Director looked back towards the cylinder where the medical team was restraining Faye. A GJ technician, under supervision from the Tweebs, was fittign the helmet over her head.

"Still unconscious. I don't know what exactly happened between her and Ron, but she hasn't moved since he dragged her into the lobby. She mumbles every so often but we can't make out what she's saying."

"And you're sure Kim is still in there?"

"According to Ron, Morgan let her out just long enough to cause a distraction. I'd say that's a good sign. If she really were completely gone, I don't think Morgan would be able to do that."

"Who knows?" Anne sighed. "There's only ever been one case like this before, and sadly, all the people who know anything about it are long gone. Even then, with the modifications..."

Dr. Director put her free hand on Anne's shoulder. "You raised a strong young woman, Dr. Possible. No matter how beaten down she was, I seriously doubt she's gone for good. She's a survivor."

"I hope you're right." Anne turned towards the simulator. "Wade? Are we ready?"

"Just about." Wade answered. "I asked the other Dr. Possible to track something down for me. It should help us give Kim a little bit of an edge."

The elevator chimed and the doors opened. James stepped out, followed by Ron being pushed in a wheelchair by his father.

"Dad, I can walk. You should be with Mom." Ron was protesting. He had a splint on his nose and bandages were wrapped around his hands and head. His black eye had swollen to the size of a tennis ball.

"Not a chance, Ronald." Mr. Stoppable said, "You're lucky your mother even allowed you down here with me. If she had her way, you'd still be up in the medical unit."

"That's where he SHOULD be." Anne said sternly. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't send you right back up there, Ron."

Ron fixed Anne with a quiet stare. "Because I love your daughter more than anything in the world and we both know she'd want me here."

There was a tense pause, then Anne smirked. "Yeah, that's a good reason. But you stay in that chair, understand?"

"Yes ma'am, Mrs. Dr. P, ma'am!" Ron chirped, firing off a snappy salute. The goofy action relieved some of the tension in the room. Wade turned to James.

"Did you get it?"

James smiled. "Looks like they hadn't bothered to get rid of Kimmie's stuff yet. It was right in the top of the box." He held up the Kimmunicator by one strap. Wade took it from him and began fiddling with the buttons.

"Great!" he said. "Let's see here...yes! Got it!" He crossed the room back to the open cylinder and attached the Kimmunicator to Faye's wrist. He hit a button and the Kimmunicator began emitting it's familiar four-note chime. Wade stepped back and signaled Jim and Tim.

"All set! Close it up!"

A warning alarm sounded and the door to the cylinder arced down and latched into position. A humming sound echoed through the lab as the stun cannons powered up. Wade, Jim and Tim took their positions at the VR computers while the Drs. Possible and two member sof the med team began monitoring the medical feeds.

"What's the Kimmunicator for?" Ron asked. "I mean, it's not like she's going to be able to contact us from inside her own head."

"I put a message explaining what's going on in the Kimmunicator," Wade explained, not looking up from the monitor. "Once we have confirmation that Faye's in the right state, I'll trigger the message to play. The alert chime is designed to get Kim's attention. Kind of like if you fall asleep with the TV on and what you hear gets incorporated into your dreams."

"Gotcha." Ron said. He settled back in the chair. "I guess there's not much I can do to help then, huh?"

Wade looked up and smiled. "You did your part already, Ron. From here on in, it's up to Kim."

Ron nodded and looked up at the cylinder.

"Good luck, KP."

--

_beep beep be-beep...beep beep be-beep...beep beep be-beep..._

Kim frowned and opened her eyes. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head. She was sitting on the ground for some reason. The pink sand was sticking to the back of her arms and...

"Back up a minute. Pink sand?"

Kim looked around, perplexed. She was on a beach composed of pink sand. Purple water crashed onto the sand in waves. Abover her, the sky was completely but a vast expanse of blackness that touched the horizon on all sides.

Suddenly, a crate marked "Kerpuffin" fell from the sky and crashed right next to her. Kim leaped to her feet as it impacted. The crate burst open and thirty-three mauve and orange ducks wearing hip waders and fedoras scattered in all directions, one of them pausing to hand Kim a bill for delivery before running over the horizon.

Kim looked down at the bill, which quacked three times and bit her on the hand.

"OW!" Kim yelped. The bill laughed and vanished over the horizon, following its owner. Kim stared after it.

"Well, that was random." she said. She brushed the pink sand off her clothes, and did another double take. She was wearing her mission clothes, despite the fact that GJ had taken them from her when she was captured.

After taking a few moments to deal with the pack of pervs who showed up with dirty non-Disney approved scenes as that thought passed through her head, she stood in thought. In the the background the O Boyz were chased by an axe weilding Britina.

"Something very very weird is happening here." Kim said. At that point, the persistently beeping Kimmunicator piped up.

"ANSWER THE BEEP ALREADY! SHEESH!"

Kim blinked and hit the button."Wade? Did GJ drop LSD in my water supply or something?"

"Kim," came Wade's voice from the Kimmunicator. "This is a recording, so don't try asking any questions. Ron managed to subdue Faye. During the fight, she let you out just long enough to distract him, which meant we had a chance for this to work.

"We put Faye into a hypnotic state which has allowed you to wake up. But here's the thing, so is she. And basically, well, what you're seeing around you isn't real."

Kim looked around. The ocean had washed the beach away, and she was now standing on the head of a seventeen foot tall statue of Marlon Brando.

"Gee, you could have fooled me," she muttered. Wade's recording continued.

"What we've done is put you into a mental landscape where you and Faye can confront each other. Here's the catch though. We can't bring you out until one of you is left."

Wade's voice sighed. "You're going to have to kill her, Kim. Otherwise..." he trailed off. After a few seconds, he spoke again.

"In any event, this message was set to trigger when we got the readings that both of you were mentally active. So be careful, Faye's out there somewhere and she's probably not happy. Good luck, Kim."

The recording ended and the screen went dark. Kim sighed and looked around.

"Okay, so this is all in my mind. Which means I should be able to control what I see. So..."

Kim concentrated and the purple ocean crashed in around her, washing the remains of the pink beach, the crate, and the statue of Marlon Brando away. As the water receded into the distance, normal green grass sprung up. After a few moments tress began sprouting and growing until Kim found herself in a vast forest. She looked up through the tress and saw that the sky was still a flat black void.

"Well, you can't have everything." Kim muttered. She began making her way through the forest. As she walked, she became aware of a distant rumbling. She felt vibrations coming from the ground and up through her feet. She began running.

After a few minutes she skidded to a halt. The rumbling was getting louder. She could see movement further ahead in the forest. She cursed mentally. The word appeared in front of her and scampered off into the forest.

"Okay, gonna have to watch what I think during all this." Kim said. The rumbling was now accompanied by a series of crashes. Trees began disappearing from the cluster in front of her and the movement resolved itself into a moving flash of dirty yellow.

"Oh boy," Kim gulped as the last few trees vanished under the giant treads of a four story tall bulldozer. Up in the cab, Faye Morgan, wearing a hard hat, brought the mammoth machine to bear on Kim.

"So, you woke up!" Faye's voice came booming out of a loudspeaker. "Well, I guess I'm just gonna have to kill you all over again! Yay for me!"

Kim quickly turned, fired the emergency grapple from the Kimmunicator and swung up into the trees. As she rose, she grabbed her grapple gun from her hip holster, fired, and swung to the next tree. Alternating between the grapples, she made her way through the forest. Behind her, Faye snarled and turned up the speed of the bulldozer, mashing trees mercilessly under the treads.

Kim glanced over her shoulder, trying to keep an eye on Faye's progress. Faye made eye contact, sneered and pointed ahead of her. Kim quirked an eyebrow, and turned back to look ahead of her.

She yelped as she ran out of trees and found herself swinging into midair off the edge of a seventy foot cliff. She quickly spun in the air, and fired the Kimmunicator grapple at a limb of the last tree. She swung back towards the cliff, intending to disengage at the top of the arc and land behind the oncoming bulldozer.

This plan was abruptly aborted when Faye drove the behemoth over the edge of the cliff.

Kim hastily corrected her arc, let go, and began running over the top of the bulldozer as it passed off the edge of the cliff. She leaped into the air as she reached the end of it and began somersaulting towards the ground.

"Oh no, you don't!" Faye cried. There was a hiss and Kim felt something wrap around her ankle and tug her backwards. She looked down and stared at the cable around her leg, which was attached to the grappel gun in Faye's hand.

"Are you insane?!" Kim yelled as the bulldozer went over the cliff, pulling her with it.

"Damn ..."

--

Kim groaned as she rolled onto her back. "Note to self: never ask a crazy person if they're insane."

She sat up and looked around. Instead of being in the middle of the woods that she had seen spreading out at the bottom of the cliff, she was instead sitting on the marble floor of a cavernous room that looked similar to a cathedral. There was a huge hole in the ceiling, presumably the way she'd made her entrance. By all logic, the fall should have shattered nearly every bone in her body, if not killed her outright.

That she was able to get to her feet with no difficulty and a complete absence of pain was another reminder that she wasn't dealing with logic. She took a couple of steps, looking around the interior of the cathedral. The stained glass windows had been shattered, the few pews in the room were either broken or overturned. There was no altar. The only sound was of Kim's heels as she walked through the room.

"Faye?" she called. "Come out."

Kim froze as a psychotic giggle echoed through the room. She frowned.

"I'm not kidding, Faye. Come out here. Now!"

The giggle turned into an evil laugh. Kim stepped back into a fighting stance, then continued moving forward. Then Faye began to recite:

"Who killed Cock Robin? I, said the Sparrow. With my bow and arrow..."

Faye suddenly appeared from behind a colummn on the far side of the room. She held a large compound bow, a vicious looking arrow with serrated barbs nocked. A quiver of arrows was slung onto her back.

"I killed Cock Robin!" she finished and let the arrow fly. Kim dropped to her knees and bent backward, the arrow barely passing over her chest as it flew across the room and embedded itself into the far wall.

Aww, damn." Faye said in mock disappointment. "That would have been so cool if it had hit you. Oh well."

She reached behind her and pulled three arrows from the quiver and nocked them simultaneously. "Guess we'll have to try this!"

The arrow's streaked across the room. Kim leaped into the air as Faye let them fly. She somersaulted througbh the air and came crashing down onto her alter ego , a foot connecting solidly with Faye's face. No sooner had Kim impacted than Faye's hand shot up and grabbed her ankle, dragging Kim to the floor. The two rolled across the floor, stopping when they hit one of the of the columns supporting the roof.

Unfortunately for Kim, Faye was on top, with an arrow in her hand. Faye's satanic grin returned. Kim moved to get up, but Faye grabbed her hair with her free hand and smcked Kim's head against the marble floor. Kim's eyes crossed and her vision blurred. Faye kept her grip on Kim's hair and raised the arrow.

"Now this is more like it!" Faye crowed, "Up close and personal!" She brought the barbed arrow down, intending to shove it into Kim's left eye. just before it connected, Kim's hand shot up, grabbed Faye's wrist and shoved hrd, forcing Faye to drive the rrow into her own thigh.

Faye screeched in pain and let go of Kim's hair, giving the teen hero the opprotunity to put up both feet and plant them into Faye's chest. She shoved hard, sending Faye across the room and into the far wall.

Not giving Faye time to recover, Kim got to her feet and leaped into the air, folding her legs underneath her and impacting with her knees. Faye uttered a gasp as the air was forced out of her lungs. Kim grabbed the sides of Faye's head and slammed it back into the wall behind her.

"You take over my life," Kim snarled, "you threaten my family, you make Ron chase you all over Paris..." She slammed Faye's head into the wall again.

"You cripple Shego, you put Bonnie in the ICU, you get GJ to break their own rules..."

Kim grabbed the front of Faye's shirt and hauled her up. She glared into the dazed violet eyes.

"Oh, yeah," she finished, "and you tried to hang me." Kim spun in place and threw Faye back across the room in the opposite direction. Faye hit the floor on her face and slid to a halt. Kim walked up towards her.

"I've had enough of you, Faye. I've had enough of the violence, of the ego, and of the general bitchiness. And I'm putting a stop to it, right now. You're done."

Faye didn't respond. She didn't even move. Kim frowned down at her.

"Did you hear me? You're done."

"I heard you." Faye's voice was muffled by the floor. She looked up and pushed herself up with her hands. "And you're wrong."

Faye got to her feet. Kim stepped back into a battle stance. Faye tilted her head from side to side, the vertebrae cracking audibly and echoing through the cathedral.

"I'm not done," Faye said, walking slowly towards Kim. "I'm NEVER done. I'm always there, Kim. I'm every nasty little thought you ever had, every dark little impulse you ever felt, every evil little feeling you tried to supress.

"You think if you beat me here and take control back for good, I'm going to go away? Oh sure, I won't be able to wreck havoc personally anymore, but I'll always be there. Watching from the darkest parts of your mind, urging you on, telling you to take the other way out. You've done it before."

"I have not!" Kim protested, not letting down her guard. "I would never--"

"Bueno Nacho headquarters. Shego, the storm, and Drakken's broadcast tower." Faye interrupted, irritation in her voice. "That was me. Those kind of thoughts are always me. I may not have had a name, or a voice, or a body, but all of those things are me. DNAmy didn't create me, Kim. YOU did."

Kim's expression turned to shock. her hands lowered slightly, and she unconsciously began moving backward. "I don't think like that."

Faye laughed. "Everybody thinks like that. It's primal. It's the lizard we still have in our brain. That's where I come from, that's where I live. All the formula did was make me strong enough to take on a physical form. That's what it did, that's why I'm here--"

Suddenly, Faye's hands shot out and grabbed Kim's shoulders. Kim gasped as she was pulled off her feet and close to her twisted reflection. Faye's face twisted up into a sadistic smile. Kim was amazed she had never noticed how sharp Faye's canines were before now.

"And THAT'S why I'll win. You really think you can beat me? You think this cheap mental trick is going to give you the upper hand? Do you even knwo who you're up against?!"

With an inhuman roar, Faye spun and threw Kim through one of the windows. The remaiing stained glass shatters and Kim screamed as she fell a full three stories to the ground outside. She hit hard, the air rushing out of her lungs. She looked back up at the window. Faye stood framed in the shattered glass, grinning. She yelled down at Kim.

"I'M MR. GOD DAMN HYDE! SHOW A LITTLE RESPECT!"

Faye leaped out the window and dove face first towards the grouns, her fists extended, intending to drive then into Kim's ribs. Kim tried to move but the air still hadn't returned.

She was helpless.

---

"She's crashing!" one of the medical techs cried out. Anne leaped from her station and went over to the cylinder, intercepting another member of the medical team.

"Don't open it!" she ordered. The tech stared at her.

"That's your daughter!"

"And if you open it now, the shock may kill her anyway. Flood the cylinder with oxygen, and hit the AEGs!"

"Doing it now!" Jim called from the abandoned medtech station. The lights flickered as the shock paddles built into the cylinder fired, electrically stimulating the heart. The EKG spiked a couple of times then steadied, the beeping becoming regular.

Anne looked at the tech. "Sorry. I know you were just trying to help."

The tech nodded and went back to his station. Anne returned to hers. As she did so, james caught her and hugged her tightly. Across the room, Ron wheeled himself over to Wade.

"How's she doing?" he asked.

"Not good." Wade replied. "They have to end this soon."

"What's going on?"

"I've been monitoring their body. Every time one of them gets the upper hand, the body changes to reflect it. It's happening almost on a second-to-second basis. The DNA is rapidly wearing out. If one of them doesn't win this fight soon..."

Ron looked at Wade. "What? What if somebody doesn't win?"

Wade sighed. "If somebody doesn't win soon, the only thing coming out of that cylinder is a dead body."

---

Kim felt pain coursing through her, radiating form her chest where Faye had impacted. She rolled onto her side. She felt like she needed to throw up, to rest, to just close her eyes and let it all go away.

Faye was standing over her, smiling again.

"Time's up, Kimmie. Time to step aside and let the new girl take over." Faye straddled Kim's prone form and pulled back a fist, extending her fingers and her claws. "But, I'll make it quick. Least I could do, really."

"Go to hell." Kim gasped out.

"You first." Faye replied and thrust her hand forward.

Suddenly, both of them screamed in pain as electricity arced through them. Faye rolled off Kim and collapsed next to her. There were three more jolts and then the two of them were still.

As the sensation faded, Kim found that the pain she was feeling from the injuries Faye had inflicted had severely diminished. She glanced over to Faye, who was curled up in the fetal position.

"That was real." Kim whispered to herself. "The electrictiy was real. What we're doing to ourselves...that's not real."

Her eyes widened as the truth hit her. "This is our mind. These aren't real bodies. And if the bodies aren't real...then neither is the pain!"

Kim leaped to her feet and grabbed Faye, hauling her upright. She grinned at her evil counterpart.

"My turn." She said, before throwing Faye into another section of the graveyard. She quickly followed her, dodging headstones and shrines.

As she turned a corner,s he head Faye's monstrous howl and yelped as Faye struck her from behind. Kim bounced off a shrine, and Faye responded by clotheslining her with her arm.

Faye expression of triumph turned to astonishment as Kim astonishingly spun around her arm, into the air and slammed a foot down into Faye's shoulder. Faye snalrled and backflipped, trying to catch Kim with her foot. Kim bent backwards and turned it into a back flip of her own.

The two of them faced off and charged forward. As she got closer, kim dropped to her knees and slid towards her nemesis.

Kim's fist flew up and connected with Faye's jaw. Faye responded with a punch to Kim's nose. The two of them had gotten to their feet and were now fighting, appropriately enough, in a graveyard outside the cathedral.

Kim executed a kick towards Faye's midsection. Faye took a step back at the last possible second, and caught Kim's heel in both hands. She smirked and thrust upward, causing Kim to flip in midair. The smirk was quickly wiped off her face as Kim continued the flip into an impressive 360 degree arc and caught her foot right underneath Faye's chin.

Faye flew into the air and crashed into the wall of a mausoleum. Kim landed on her feet and strode across the graveyard towards Faye. Faye groaned and sat up. Both were disheveled and exhausted. Despite the sheer savagery of their battle, there was no blood.

"Time to finish this," Kim said, quietly. "You know we have to finish this."

Faye smiled again. "Yeah, we do. You can feel it this time, can't you?"

Kim nodded. "We're dying. The body is changing as each of us gets the advantage, and our DNA is wearing out. We're out of time."

"We've got long enough to settle this." Faye said, getting to her feet. Kim stepped back,once again taking up a defensive stance.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to settle this with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors?" she asked. Faye laughed. Genuine, honest laughter.

"Oh, I wish it were that simple. But, we have one thing more in common than anything else, don't we?"

"We both hate losing."Kim answered. She cracked her knuckles. "All or nothing, then?"

"Sounds good to me." Faye replied, cracking her neck again. She shook out her arms.

The two of them took up positions facing each other, muscles tense, eyes unblinking. Faye clenched and unclenched her hands. Kim tossed her hair out of her eyes.

"You ready?" Faye called.

"Ready when you are." Kim answered.

There was a brief pause, then, with both of them screaming at the top of their lungs, they charged.

--

Three of the computer stations exploded. The medical readouts went haywire. GJ officers dashed for fire extinguishers. The lights flickered then went out, red emergency lighting kicking on.

"Status report!" Dr. Director called. "What the hell happened?"

"Working on it!" Wade replied. He typed for a few moments, then threw up his hands. "The system's frozen. We got nothing."

"Then there's only one way to find out!" Ron said. He got out of the wheelchair and ran to the cylinder. He reached down, grabbed the lip of the lid and heaved. The lid didn't move. Ron took a deep breath, focused, and hauled again. His hands began radiating a blue aura and the lid shifted. Soon the hydraulics caught and the lid opened the rest of the way on it's own.

Ron pulled off the dead VR helmet and hauled her unconscious form out of the cylinder. The rest of the team gathered around, as Ron sat on the floor, cradling her in his arms. The red lighting made it impossible to determine who had won.

"We need a light over here!" Dr. Director called. The Drs. Possible knelt down next to Ron.

"Kimmie?" James asked.

"Kim?" Anne said, "Come on, Kimmie, wake up."

"KP!" Ron cried.

The eyelids fluttered. A tech arrived with a flashlight. Dr. Director turned it on and placed the beam on her face. The hair wasn't the blood red of Faye, but not the more traditional redhead tone of Kim, either. The features of the face were soft like Kim's, but the face itself was the thin, more angluar shape of Faye's.

Ron grit his teeth in anticipation as she began to blink rapidly. The GJ agents tensed, ready for the worst. Finally, her eyes opened.

Her lush, emerald eyes.

"KIM!" Ron cried. Kim smiled, weakly.

"Miss me?" she asked.

Ron answered by kissing her deeply.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Three days later...**_

Kim pulled her mission shirt on over her head, and grabbed a hairbrush from the bedside table. She felt better than she had in weeks. Everything seemed brighter, crisper, clearer. Life seemed much more brighter, more vibrant.

She had spent the last three days in GJs medical unit, getting examined and testing her new form. Much more pleasant than when she had first arrived. The outlook was encouraging. She had gained two inches in height, she now stood eye to eye with Ron. Her muscles were more toned, slightly denser, increasing her strength. While she wasn't likely to be able to rip locker doors off with one hand, she could lift quite a bit more than she used to.

Her speed and reflexes were enhanced too. Once again, not the bizarrely superfast speed that Faye could move at, but definitely on an Olympic level. But the best part of all for Kim was her senses.

Everything that came through her senses were sharper, more acute. Sounds were clearer, scents were more acute. She could distinguish between various types of wood just by feeling the grain. Food tasted better. Even things she didn't originally like were now more flavorful. But the best thing was her sight. She had always had perfect 20/20 vision, but now, as far as GJ could tell, she had an almost unheard of 20/5 visual acuity. The doctor had described it as having "HDTV in your eyes." The details and colors were incredible.

All in all, it looked like Faye had left her with several gifts that could only help her in her world saving activities. Kim liked to think that Faye would have appreciated the irony.

She had finally been given a clean bill of health, although she was advised to take a couple of weeks off to rest. Her parents had also insisted that she put off starting college until the spring semester. "You deserve a vacation, Kim" were their exact words. They had even offered to pay for her and Ron to take said vacation. She hadn't decided where she wanted to go yet. She had other things on her mind.

"Kimberly?" came Dr. Director's voice. Kim frowned. _And there's one of them._

Kim turned around. Dr. Director was in the doorway, her arm recasted and slinged.

Kim folded her arms. "Dr. Director."

"I heard you were being released. I thought I'd stop by to say good-bye."

Kim didn't say anything, just quirked an eyebrow. Director sagged.

"All right," the GJ leader said, "I wanted to say I'm sorry. For what happened to you, to your family, to Ron, his family, and Wade. I let the job get the better of me."

"You sold me out." Kim said.

"I had no--no, you're right. I sold you out. And there's no excuse for it."

"Where's ICAD One?" Kim asked.

"He bugged out when Faye escaped. But I turned everythign over to the UN Secretary General. He's dissolved the International Centre for Assurance Development. And ICAD One is out of a job. If he shows his face anywhere in the free world, he'll be arrested."

"Of course, he took great care not to let anyone actually SEE his face." Kim stated.

"Yes. Kim, I--"

"Do you know what really disappoints me, Betty?" Kim interrupted. "I looked up to you. I was sure you would always do the right thing, regardless of the rules. But as soon as your job was threatened, you caved. You took advantage of that admiration and you suckered me.

"We used to talk about me coming to work for GJ when I got out of college. But all this has made me seriously reconsider."

Kim walked across the room and fixed Dr. Director with a stern gaze.

"I will never, EVER, work for you, Dr. Director. Not if this is what Global Justice is really like. Not if there's goons on the payroll like Kemmerer."

Director looked up, surprised. "You know about Kemmerer?"

"Please tell me you didn't actually think my parents wouldn't tell me exactly what happened while I was running around Paris."

Director nodded. "I should have expected this. And if I was in your shoes, I'd probably make the same decision. Good luck, Kimberly."

Kim turned to look back out the window as Dr. Director began to leave. When she heard the door open, Kim decided to let the Global Justice leader off the hook.

"Dr. Director?"

"Yes?"

Kim looked back over her shoulder. "I won't work for you. But that doesn't mean I still won't work with you from time to time."

Director gave a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

--

"Ah, Kim Possible," said Senor Senior, Sr. "How good of you to join me. May I offer you some lunch?"

"Thank you." Kim said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. The two of them were sitting in the Atrium, the Upperton Arms' most expensive restaurant. A waiter arrived with a menu. Kim ordered a small salad and water. The waiter nodded and vanished.

"Where's Junior?" Kim asked.

"He is currently visiting Miss Rockwaller. She regained consciousness a few days ago. Junior has been visiting her every day."

"How--" Kim's voice choked up as she fought to ask. "How is she?"

"Surprisingly, much better than she originally appeared." Senior answered. "While she will have to undergo physical therapy once her bones have mended, there shouldn't be any lasting permanent damage. I have also been able to procure the services of some of the finest reconstructive surgeons in the world to aid her."

"You care that much about her?"

"Not necessarily. But Junior does. And I will gladly do anything to encourage Junior to step out of that narcissistic shell he's been in for so long."

Senior picked up the wineglass that sat next to his plate and swallowed the contents. "Ah. Lovely. Now then, my dear Kim Possible, I presume your visit has something to do with the matter we discussed?"

"Yes." Kim said. She paused as the waiter arrived with her salad. When he'd gone she leaned forward. "I found the person responsible for what happened to Bonnie."

"Really? That is excellent news." Senior said. He pulled a small notebook and pen from his inner jacket pocket. "What is their name and where can they be found?"

"That won't be necessary."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Kim fixed Senior with a solemn stare. The elderly villain quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you telling me that you, Kim Possible, actually took a--"

"I did what had to be done. She was a menace, and she wasn't going to come quietly."

"I see. And you are certain that they will not be...returning?"

"Quite." Kim replied. "I made sure of that."

There was a pause as Senior digested the information, and Kim took a mouthful of salad. After a moment, Senior reached back into his pocket and produced a checkbook.

"Very well. I would say that, given the circumstances, our agreement was reached." He picked up the pen and scribbled out a check. He ripped it out of the checkbook and handed it to Kim. "I realize you do not charge for services like this, but I think you have rightfully earned this."

Kim took the check and stared at the amount. She looked back up. "I can't possibly--"

"You can and you will." Senior said. "Given Miss Rockwaller's condition, I can guess how diffcult this particular mission was for you. I'm also aware there was some sort of altercation with Global Justice during this debacle. I think the amount reflects that."

"But still--"

Senior held up a hand. "If you do not take the check, I can assure you that the amount will find its way into your bank account in some other manner. My mind is made up on this, Kim Possible. You have truly earned it. Please do not insult me with false modesty."

Kim looked at the check again, then folded it and put it in her pocket. "Thank you."

Senior smiled warmly at her. "No, no. Thank _you_. And now, may I tempt you with some dessert? I understand the house specialty is a decadent little confection called Genocide by Chocolate..."

--

Shego opened her eyes, saw Kim standing at the foot of her hospital bed, and groaned.

"Oh great, I thought I told them no visitors."

"Special case," Kim said, "Part of a new system. I get to taunt you even before you go back to prison now."

"I'd rather be waterboarded." Shego replied. "What the hell do you want?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing. Ron said you were banged up pretty bad."

"I was. Just about had every damn bone broken. But I heal fast." Shego gestured at her legs which were still casted and in traction. "If it weren't for that, I'd be kicking your ass around this hospital right now. Tell you what, come back in three days and I'll be happy to do just that."

Kim smirked. "Yeah, right. I'll put it on my calendar."

Shego looked at Kim. "So, what the hell happened back there? One second you were there and the next...well." She gestured at the hospital room.

Kim shrugged. "You caught me on a bad day. I'm sorry."

Shego frowned. "A bad day. Right." She sighed and leaned back. "Not that I really care. Just know that whatever it was, I still owe you for it."

"I expected that." Kim said. She grinned evilly. "Anytime you want to bring it, bitch."

Shego blinked. "Okay, THAT was way out of character for you. What the hell's been going on, Kimmie?"

Kim smiled again, less evilly this time. "Changes. I think you'll find our fights a lot more interesting from now on."

"New tricks?"

"You'll see." Kim went to the door. "Get better soon. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. See you around, Shego."

With that, Kim left the room. Shego sat up in the bed and frowned in thought. After a minute, she grinned.

"So, Kimmie's finally found her edge. Heh. Good for you, kiddo."

--

"So, how'd it go?" Ron asked as Kim got back in the car.

"Pretty good. She's almost healed." Kim answered, fastening her seatbelt and starting the car.

"Well, that's good. She's evil and all but still--"

"Yeah."

"So, what's next?" Ron asked.

"One more stop."

"Ah." Ron looked out the window for a few seconds. "KP?"

"Yeah?"

"You never really, y'know, told us what happened between you and Faye. I mean, how did you win?"

Kim didn't answer at first. Then she glanced over at Ron. "I didn't exactly win, and Faye didn't exactly lose..."

--

_The two of them took up positions facing each other, muscles tense, eyes unblinking. Faye clenched and unclenched her hands. Kim tossed her hair out of her eyes. _

_"You ready?" Faye called._

_"Ready when you are." Kim answered._

_There was a brief pause, then, with both of them screaming at the top of their lungs, they charged. _

_Faye leaped into the air and thrust a hand forward, claws extended from her fingers. As she came down, Kim slid to a halt, reached up and yanked the arrow that was still protruding from Faye's leg. Faye screeched in pain and lost control of her landing._

_Kim smiled intriumph but it quickly faded as Faye landed on her. There was a sharp pain in her chest at the same time that she felt something warm and sticky wash over her hand. The two of them crashed to the ground, grunting in pain as they hit._

_Kim and Faye looked at each other, then down. Faye's claws had sunk deep into Kim's chest, while the arrow Kim had retrieved had gone into Faye's stomach and out her back. Blood was flowing freely from both wounds. _

_Faye giggled, blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. "Figures. We can't even settle it without killing each other. Looks like we go the way of Dr. Jekyll, huh?"_

_"We don't have to." Kim said. _

_"Oh, what, you pull the opposite of what I pulled on you?" Faye snorted, "You convince me to give up? Not a chance, sister."_

_"God, you're stubborn." Kim replied._

_"So are you."_

_"That isn't what I was going to suggest."_

_"Oh? What then? That we--oh. Oh no. No way."_

_"We're dying. You can feel it. We're only talking now because this is only happening in our head."_

_"It still means I cease to exist. That ain't happening."_

_"You know there's no other way. We're both dead if we don't. This way, some of you is still there. And I can tell you, I'm not likely to forget you, ever."_

_Faye frowned. She felt her vision starting to darken. The graveyard around them began to dissolve into blackness. She looked back at Kim, who looked like she was about to pass out._

_"I still hate it when you try to play fair, you know that?" Faye said._

_Kim chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But what else can I do when dealing with myself?"_

_Faye returned the laugh then sighed. "All right...on three?"_

_"One..."_

_"Two..."_

_"THREE!"_

--

"I'm still not exactly sure what happened." Kim said, "Faye just sort of dissolved and flowed into me. And then the next thing I knew, I was lying in your arms."

"So she's still in there?" Ron asked, concerned.

"She was always in there, Ron," Kim explained. "The formula just let her out. All we did was get rid of the separation. We're whole again, and I'm in charge. Just the way it should be."

"With a few extras." Ron said.

Kim smiled. "Yeah, with a few extras. But I think they'll come in handy."

Ron smiled breifly then brought up the other issue that had been bothering him. "Kim...Faye said something during our fight. Are you really afraid that I'll replace you, with the Monkey Power and all?"

Kim glanced over at him breifly before turning her attention back to the road."A little. I mean, Ron, you've got almost godlike power. Who wouldn't be intimidated by that?"

"Well, it's not going to happen." Ron said firmly. "You're the leader of this team. No matter how much power I've got, that won't change. I'm perfectly happy being your sidekick."

They pulled into a parking lot. Kim parked the car, turned it off and turned to face Ron.

"But I'm not." she said. "Ron, you're so much more than a sidekick. You're a wonderful boyfriend, a best friend, and I want you to know that. I don't consider you a sidekick anymore. You're my partner. And I just hope you won't think I'm holding you back if we keep our partnership going like it has been."

"Never." Ron said smiling. He took Kim's hand and leaned in and kissed her. "No one could ever replace you, Kim Possible."

Kim blushed. "Thanks."

Ron grinned. "No big. Okay, you want me to go in with you?"

"No," Kim answered. "I'll handle this one myself."

--

"Well, here's a surprise." DNAmy said as she sat down on the other side of the glass. "I didn't expect to see you again, Kim."

"Get used to it," Kim said. "I just came to tell you that it's over. Faye's gone and she's not coming back."

"Aww, fiddlesticks." Amy pouted. "And I was looking forward to seeing her again. Oh well, I guess that's the way it goes."

Kim blinked. "That's it?"

Amy shrugged. "Well, this whole mess wasn't really what I was trying to accomplish. I just thought it was fun to witness. Now it's over. Oh well."

"Right. I guess we're done here then." Kim said, getting up.

"Don't be a stranger!" Amy said brightly as she was escorted back to her cell. Kim left the prison, feeling oddly dissatisfied.

Whe she got back tot he car, she found Ron in video comunication with Lord Utterson.

"Hey, KP! I was just letting Lord Utterson know that we, uh, took care of DNAmy's copy of the Jekyll formula."

"Yes, indeed," Lord Utterson said. "I must commend you on your thoroughness, Miss Possible."

"Well, it was a challenge tracking it down, but we found it and destroyed it. Dr. Jekyll's legacy is safely destroyed. You can rest easy, Lord Utterson." Kim replied.

"Excellent. Are you certain there isn't anything I can do to repay you for all your hard work?"

"No charge for this kind of thing, sir." Kim said.

"Ah, yes, but I still feel you deserve a bonus of some sort. Ah, I know! I have a small villa in the south of France that needs a good airing out. Perhaps you and Mr. Stoppable would like to stay as my guests for a week or two?"

"Really, Lord Utterson," Kim began, "that's really not necessary..." She trailed off and thought for a moment, looking at Ron, and thinking about the enforced vacation her parents were making her take, as well as the check in her pocket. And a few other thoughts passed through her mind. Thoughts that the old Kim Possible would never have entertained.

She smiled and looked back at the screen. "It's not necessary," she repeated, "but it sounds wonderful. Can we get back to you once we have our plans finalized?"

"Certainly. I'll have the staff waiting for your call. Thank you again, Miss Possible. You have done my family a great service."

"Thank you, Lord Utterson."

The connection terminated and Kim started the car. As she drove away, Ron reclined his seat and put his hands behind his head.

"All right, a week in France with no school and no missions. Sounds like paradise."

"You'll certainly think so."

"Huh?"

"Remember what I said back when we first set up the apartment?" Kim turned her head and grinned evilly at Ron. "It's going to be SO worth it."

Ron looked at Kim for a moment, then turned bright red.

--

DNAmy sighed as she was shown back to her cell. She looked at the shelf of Cuddlebuddies that was mounted on one wall.

"Well, it looks like Kim Possible won...again." she said, taking the Gold-Class Ferrockatoo off the shelf. "She's such a little hussy. So stuck up and superior."

She sat down and stroked the stuffed toy. "But, Faye warned us about this, didn't she? Good thing she had a back up plan."

Amy reached down and parted the broken seam in the back of the Cuddlebuddy. She withdrew a small glass tube. It was filled with a dark red liquid. A label on the tube read "SAMPLE: MORGAN, FAYE." She held it up briefly to the light in her window and smiled.

"Well, let her enjoy it for now. She'll get what's coming to her eventually..."

**THE END**

---

**Author's Notes:** Whew! About time! Between writer's block, technical problems, and loss of internet access, it's taken me almost three years to finish this thing. But at least I got it done! Hooray!

I'd like to thank those of you who have stuck around since the beginning of this story, and also those of you just discovering it. While I have nothing against shippy stories, it's still nice to know there's still an audience out there for fanfics which are more than just two characters proclaiming their undying love for each other, whcih sadly, seems to be the state of all fanfiction these days.

If you didn't know, inspiration for this fic came (and some scenes were outright stolen) from the excellent BBC miniseries _Jekyll_. It's available on DVD and I highly recommend it. While there are some similarities (and the aforementioned thievery) there are still some substantial differences and plot twists that I think you'll enjoy immensely, not the least of which is James Nesbitt's excellent portrayal of Mr. Hyde.

And to those of you wondering about ICAD One, he got away because I still have plans for him. He's still out there, and still up to no good. You'll find out what happened to him soon enough.

As for the ending of this story, don't hold your breath for a sequel. While I do put teasers like that in my stories, I have yet to actually write a sequel to any of my fics, even when I've planned one. I don't expect _The Hyde Factor_ to be any different. So please, don't ask.

Thanks to Brian Taylor, as always, for being the best damn sounding board anyone could want, and also to Daniel J. Wild for his feedback.

And now, on to the next one...


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